


The Lie In The Marriage

by FaerieKitteh



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Werewolves, Angst, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski are the Same Age, Erica Reyes & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, Everyone Is Alive, Fluff and Smut, M/M, Mildly Dubious Consent, Scott McCall & Stiles Stilinski are Roommates, Smut, The Hale Family, Top Derek Hale/Bottom Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-07
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-13 08:32:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 22,897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18028346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaerieKitteh/pseuds/FaerieKitteh
Summary: Derek and Stiles got married in Las Vegas, when they went there for a joint holiday/21st virthday celebration.Stiles disappeared afterwards. Now seven years later, Derek has Stiles back... and blackmails him a little.





	1. In The Very Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> I originally started writing this for NaNoWriMo, but quit. I have 14 chapters written, and I would love to wrap this up.
> 
> I will be posting when there is smut, and when the dub con occurs.
> 
> Tags to be added as I progress.

It was the first day of primary school and Stiles was marching along the aisle between desks, intent on getting the best seat. Smack bang in the middle of the room should do it, he thought to himself. That was the best place to take in everything; it wasn't too close that the teacher saw everything he did and not too far away that the teacher would think he was a troublemaker.

Not paying any attention to his surroundings or the floor, Stiles was unpleasantly surprised when he suddenly went flying. Rolling over, Stiles looked around for what could have caused him to go flying, brown eyes narrowing as he studied the boy who had been lounging on a chair quietly. The other boy met Stiles' eyes, and looked away quickly, arranging his desk idly.

Vowing revenge to himself, Stiles picked himself up, dusted off imaginary cobwebs, and continued on until he found the perfect seat.

Later, at break, Stiles saw the same boy in the sandpit, making a sandcastle. Seizing the opportunity, he quickly ran over and pushed the boy into the sand castle, standing back as he waited for the boy to sit back up; they were going to solve this right here, right now.

Now, in the principal's office, Stiles felt irritated. He had been tripped on purpose, he was sure of it! Why was his mother glaring at him? Derek (what a stupid name, Stiles thought, even though he knew it wasn't true. What was it his mom called it? Being petty?) was being glared at by his own mother, but Derek deserved it!

Stiles perked up as Derek started talking, and slunk back, hunching into himself as the words registered.

"Mom. I didn't mean to trip Stiles. I was sitting in my chair."

The tall woman who Derek looked a lot alike, sighed and crouched down in front of her son. "Derek. Were you sitting properly?"

Derek pouted. A tiny "No" emerged, his mother nodding to herself as he talked.

Turning to Stiles, she addressed the other child. "Stiles, Derek didn't mean to trip you. He will say sorry to you, but I would also like for you to say sorry to Derek as well. One of you could have been very badly hurt."

Stiles straightened up, he could make this right. He was wrong, he could see that now. Accidents happened, like when Stiles had thought climbing a tree was a good idea last year, only he'd ended up breaking his arm. His mom had been very upset with him them, hugging Stiles once she'd calmed down and his arm was in a bright neon blue cast.

"I'm sorry, Derek."

Derek struggled internally for a few seconds before returning the apology quietly, shifting slightly to look at Stiles, showing he was sincerely with his apology.

That was the very moment they became friends; quickly moving to best friends status.

 


	2. Birthday Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stiles is 21 here.
> 
> I realised that it sounds weird with the "sixteen years of this", but his parents let him hold the knife under adult supervision from when he was 5.
> 
> 5+16=21

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you…"

Stiles tuned everyone out as he stared at Derek, Derek looking right back. This was it, he was finally legal drinking age, and Las Vegas was a thing that would happen soon. Stiles had even checked the budget in preparation. Honestly, their parents allowing them to have a joint bank account at sixteen for the sole purpose of budgeting for their Las Vegas trip had been a good thing.

At the sound of applause, Stiles checked back into reality, blushing a little as he looked at his and Derek's families, and the few friends that were gathered around. He muttered a small 'thanks' as his mother handed him a knife.

"Cut the cake, honey. Don't forget to make a wish!" She kissed her baby boy on the cheek, standing back with a look of pride on her face.

Stiles still had some clumsiness about him, even in adulthood. It had improved a lot, the bit he had left was just enough to cause strife on occasion. If he was focused, such as on cooking, he was good to go. When he didn't really have much to focus on, he wasn't so good.

Wielding the knife carefully, Stiles leant over quickly to slide the sharp blade into the cake, almost falling over from the sudden shift in balance. A strong hand shot out from nowhere, steadying Stiles. Stiles blushed a darker shade of red, and quickly cut the cake, his wish being that Las Vegas would be amazing. Not a big deal, really, Stiles thought smugly. It was Las Vegas, it was bound to be awesome.

Claudia shook her head slightly in amusement and nudged Stiles out of the way, taking over the cutting of the cake, so Stiles could open his presents. It had been the same since Stiles was five, when he was old enough to hold a knife, Claudia and Noah had decided. Not for too long, obviously. As they soon found out, he would always get too eager to cut the cake, and someone would have to rescue him before he landed face first into the cake.

Stiles kissed his mother on the forehead in thanks and ducked off, heading towards the stack of presents in the corner. Sixteen years of this and it was pretty much routine. He did the first slice and someone would have to inevitably rescue him from landing in the cake; Claudia or Noah would take over cutting the cake, and Stiles would dive into his presents.

A bundle of discarded wrapping later, Stiles was perplexed as he realised that his parents and Derek's parents had done the same to him as they had to Derek. Only a few small cheap trinkets. Being that it was odd, Stiles opened his mouth to speak up, trying his hardest to engage his brain to mouth filter. He was always appreciative of what he got, but he still found it odd that this year of all years, they had gone a different path.

Talia, Samuel, Claudia, and Noah all advanced on Stiles and Derek, who had joined Stiles a while back, broad smiles adorning their faces. It was Talia who spoke first, her dominant personality outshining even the Sheriff. Noah was used to it by now, she was an Alpha female with her personality.

"Stiles. Derek. We collectively want to apologise for the distinct lack of presents you received this year. Firstly, we all still love you both, but there's a good reason for our actions."

Noah held out an envelope, his eyebrows raised a little in expectation. Derek slung an arm over Stiles' shoulder, and when had Derek moved closer? Stiles floundered for too long, long enough that Derek took the envelope instead, letting out a little huff that Stiles could feel against his cheek.

"Stiles." Derek's amusement was evident, and it pulled Stiles back to the present.

"Gimme." Stiles twisted a little and grabbed the envelope, taking care to open it without ripping the paper too much.

Pulling out the contents, Stiles and Derek took in what was on the piece of paper. It took a few moments for reality to sink in, the eventual reactions from Stiles and Derek being of disbelief. Twin cries of "Mom! Dad!" was directed at the party of four standing in front of them.

It was Noah who spoke up this time. "Kids. We know you've had your hearts set on Las Vegas for the past five years. Heck, we were all proud that you took on odd jobs since you were sixteen, and contributed to the households while trying to save up."

Claudia chimed in, taking over from where her husband left off. "We have no idea what your budget looks like, but you deserve to have fun. Take the five thousand. We've been saving up together ourselves to give you that."

Samuel finished up. "We're proud of you both, and love you both equally. You deserve this."

It occurred to Stiles briefly that they probably rehearsed this, although the expression his dad's face had made at Talia when she spoke up first had said otherwise. Despite being used to her and her dominating personality, it still took him by surprise on the odd occasion.

Derek untangled himself from Stiles, and they both rushed forward for an awkward group hug. There was just too many people for this to work out properly, but no one moved for an individual hug.


	3. Las Vegas, Here We Are

Las Vegas, Nevada; entertainment capital of the world. Stiles and Derek were standing in the middle of it, finally.

Stiles looked out over the lights of the city from their swanky hotel room from where he was standing in front of the windows. It had made far more sense for them to share a room, rather than dish out extra money for two rooms.

Derek joined him, also taking in the view below them, and they quickly fell into discussion on what to do first. Las Vegas had a lot to offer up, more than the pair had fully anticipated; even with Stiles doing his research.

Soon, they'd came up with a list of things to do, helped by the pamphlets they'd grabbed from the visitor centre information stand in the lobby of the hotel. The days and nights blended into one. Sightseeing one day, party at night. Casino the next day, another party at night.

\---

Stiles was leaning against their table, nursing his third drink of the night. It was their third night, and they had four more to get through yet. No point in ruining his liver and kidneys just yet.

Derek made his way over, empty glass in hand. "Stiles. Stiles, my man." It was entirely possible that Derek did not see life the same way at this very moment in time, and had drank a few more beers than Stiles had. Possible, but Stiles wasn't certain. He hadn't been paying much attention to how much Derek had been drinking, to be fair.

Stiles looked up at Derek and grinned in delight anyway, the part where alcohol made Derek a lot more relaxed amusing Stiles to no end. Drunk Derek would make a great surfer dude. "What's up?"

Derek placed his glass on the table, crowded in close to Stiles, and without preamble, began kissing him. It took Stiles a few seconds to get on board, but he soon reciprocated; the two becoming lost in each other, the outside noise fading away. The only fleeting thought that Stiles had was that this was well overdue, they'd been dancing around the flirting and romance stuff for a while; even having other relationships that meant nothing, just to avoid the topic.

He wasn't freaking out about it, his bisexual freakout had been earlier on in high school. He'd gone to Derek in a panic over it, Derek quickly reassuring Stiles that it wasn't anything to worry about. Both sets of parents had been extremely supportive, giving the well rounded birds and the bees lecture without blinking an eyelid.

It was an awkward jostle to the table, jarring Stiles' elbow, that brought them back to the present. Derek and Stiles' bodies were touching, and Derek's thumbs were hooked in the belt loops of Stiles' jeans.

Stiles looked at the glass he still had, raising it to his lips and downing the contents in one go. Twisting, he dumped the glass on the table, turning back to Derek. "Let's get out of here."

Outside in the cool air - it had been hot inside, with so many people in one space - Derek and Stiles looked at each other, both drinking in the sight of the other standing before them.

Derek spoke up, derailing Stiles' train of thought. "Marry me, Stiles. We can go to one of those wedding chapels and just… get married. I fell in love with you at first sight, in primary school. That's why I didn't move my foot in time, I was too busy looking at you. I… I didn't even know what love was, then, of course. Being young and all that. All I remember thinking was that you were mine."

Derek wasn't a big talker, it was just a thing for him and his dad, who he took after. Considering how loud the majority of the Hale family was, it was always a bit off when Derek strung actual sentences together. A realisation that while he was present with his family a lot, he never really talked.

Even so. "God. Yes. Where's the nearest chapel?' Stiles had taken a few seconds to process Derek's words, but he was eager. 'I don't know when I fell in love with you. It's always been a thing, for as long as I can remember, for me as well.. So, yes. Let's get married."

Las Vegas' mainstrip was where all the excitement was, so it didn't take long before they stumbled across a chapel that offered quick and legal weddings.

\---

Signing the paperwork was easy, along with buying two simple plain gold bands. They pulled in two strangers from the street, and were soon standing in front of Batman, preparing to say their vows.

"Do you, Mieczyslaw 'Stiles' Rupert Stilinski, take Derek Sean Hale to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

"Fuck yes, I do." There was no hesitation, just a crooked slightly drunk grin at the man in front of him.

'"Do you, Derek Sean Hale, take Mieczyslaw 'Stiles' Rupert Stilinski to be your lawfully wedded husband?"

Derek smiled softly at Stiles, drinking him in. "I do."

'"You may now kiss to your heart's content. Keep it PG rated, folks."

Stiles let out a snort, crowding in close to Derek and planting one on his lips. "Mine."

\---

The next day had both Stiles and Derek regretting drinking. Not because of the marriage, but because hangovers made being romantic impossible. Even though they had slept until late morning, the aftereffects were still ravaging their bodies.

They'd checked the bank account and had decided to splurge for room service just so they didn't have to leave the room and face the deadly sunlight outside, or the noise that came with it.

Groaning, Stiles picked up his burger again, eyeing it up in thought. "Der. One day, grease is not going to fix our hangovers. That is a tragic thought."

Derek hummed in response, mouth full of hash brown and the disgusting cola he had taken a sip of. Stiles still had no idea how Derek thought that that combination was amazing, but he'd been doing it for so long, Stiles had learnt to ignore it by now.

"Derek. I mean it. It could happen as soon as… tomorrow. I don't know."

Stiles flails a little, the thought truly shocking him as it sinks in. Derek merely finishes swallowing his mouthful, addressing Stiles. "Relax. When that happens, we'll either stop getting drunk so often, or quit altogether. It could take years. We might have adopted a couple of kids by then, and won't have the time to drink anyway. Also, you should really eat your burger. You hate when your food goes cold."

Stiles stopped moving his arms around, settling for squinting at Derek funnily. "Huh. Fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rupert was Stiles' real name in the movie. Hoped you caught the reference before reading this. :)


	4. The First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut. So much smut.

Stiles was looking through his suitcase, wondering what to wear for the night ahead, when warm arms wrapped around his body, drawing him back slowly and carefully, almost as if the body attached to said arms was waiting for rejection. "Stiles. Can we stay in tonight?"

The words were muttered into his ear, scruff rubbing against the side of Stiles' face. "Please. I want tonight together. Just you and me. I even went to the drug store for supplies."

Stiles took a moment to gather his thoughts, considering carefully if he was ready for this. He was, he could feel it. The low grade arousal that had been coursing through him all day since he sobered up was now at full speed, gaining traction rapidly since Derek had taken him in his arms.

Turning in Derek's arms, Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek's neck and kissed him, giving Derek his all.

Derek ripped Stiles' towel away, and they worked together to get Derek's clothes off, warm bodies against each other as skin was revealed, kisses being exchanged, sometimes soft and sometimes rough.

They explored each others bodies, alternating between panting and moaning as they discovered what set their blood on fire, holding onto and increasing the arousal they both felt. Hands wrapped around cocks, quickly moved aside in favor of some heavy grinding, Derek's face buried in Stiles' neck.

When they got close to the edge, Stiles pulled away from Derek without dislodging where Derek had his face buried. "Not yet. Fuck. Not yet."

A breath wavered across Stiles' skin as Derek chuckled in response, moving his head away from Stiles' neck so that he could be understood. "Refractory period, we're still young."

A gasp was sent up into the silence of the room, Stiles shoving Derek until he got him on his back. With a salacious grin, Stiles moved down the bed, engulfing Derek's cock into his mouth in one fell swoop. With a cry, the older man's hips jerked up, his hands making their way into Stiles' hair, holding on but not creating pressure. "Fuck! Stiles!"

Stiles pulled back and off, grinning at Derek. Moving his head back down, he lapped at the slit and around the head of Derek's cock, opening his mouth to suck on it. Shifting slightly, Stiles' pulled one of Derek's legs up and held onto his thigh, using it as a brace.

Once the maneuver was completed, Stiles' attention drifted back to the main course, and opening his mouth more, Stiles took Derek all the way in, his chin and nose coming to a rest against Derek's pubes. Taking a moment to relish the taste, Stiles pulled back and then dove in again, worshipping the length with his mouth, flicking his tongue across the tip on withdrawal.

Derek's thigh muscles were tensing up, Stiles could feel it under his fingers. The mild rolling of Derek's hips stuttered, and Stiles moved his hand to caress Derek's balls, taking them in hand and rolling them slightly. Pulling off with a pop, Stiles shifted lower and replaced his hand with his mouth, suckling, licking, caressing, teasing.

It didn't seem that long at all to Stiles, just as he was about to lap at them again, when his head was suddenly grabbed and pulled back. "Shit. Stiles. Sorry. Fuck."

Resting up on an elbow, Stiles looked over Derek, taking in the man still writhing in pleasure beneath him, attempting to get back in control. "Ah."

Dropping his elbow, Stiles took the time to gently bite Derek's exposed thigh before taking Derek back into his mouth all the way. As Stiles' nose met Derek's pubes, Derek's hands went back into Stiles' hair and held him there, Stiles relaxing his body as Derek orgasmed, his cum flowing down Stiles' throat.

The second Derek's hand went slack and dropped away from Stiles' hair, Stiles pulled back, pausing at the tip to lap up any remaining cum. Once satisfied, he made his way back up to lay next to Derek, dropping a kiss to the other man's lips.

"Fuck. Stiles. I love you."

"I love you too."

Taking in a few shuddering breaths, Derek regained his strength, and moved down the bed to repay the favor, sliding his mouth down Stiles' almost painfully red length. As soon as Derek took in what he could, Stiles let out a yelp, the only warning Derek got before Stiles was climaxing, his seed filling Derek's mouth and trickling down his throat. Derek didn't move, swallowing down what he could when possible, waiting for Stiles to finish.

Once Derek was situated back up the bed, facing Stiles, he let out a small raw laugh, his mouth aching a little. "Still a teenager, huh?"

Stiles lazily reached out and smacked Derek's bicep. "Getting you off was amazing, shut up."

\---

Stiles was laying there, leg hooked up over Derek's body, Derek's fingers coated in lube as they stretched Stiles at his most intimate spot. They exchanged kisses slowly, drawing back on occasion to draw in breath or let out a moan or gasp.

Once Derek deemed Stiles stretched enough, he maneuvered them into position, a pillow shoved under Stiles' hips, Stiles folded in half, facing Derek. Grasping his own cock, Derek lined up and pushed slowly into Stiles, torn between watching Stiles' face and watching where he was disappearing into Stiles.

Derek had worked for years to repress showing his true feelings for Stiles, now that they were married and he could worship the man he loved, he wanted to drink in all of it in. Stiles' face as it went lax in pleasure, Derek's cock nudging against his prostate. Derek also wanted to take in the sight of his cock pushing past Stiles' rim, connecting them both intimately.

Derek settled for looking at Stiles' face, pausing in his slow careful thrusts as he entered Stiles, to lean down and take Stiles' lips with his own, attempting to convey love and trust with his mouth. Pulling back, Derek spread his legs slightly, and once he was sure that Stiles was comfortable and relaxed enough to take it, began rolling his hips slowly, taking his time to treasure the sensation of how tight Stiles was around him, and how Stiles' fingers were resting against Derek's stomach, ignoring his own cock.

Stiles' fingers would clench, digging slightly into Derek's muscles, at every stroke that nudged his prostate, the fireworks shooting through him taking him to a whole different realm of amazing. As Derek moved faster, the impending orgasm spreading through his body, Stiles' fingers clenched one last time, moving away from Derek and grasping his own poor neglected cock, hand moving as he pleasured himself.

With one final thrust, Derek stilled, hips flush to Stiles' butt, and came, a loud groan filling the air. Derek's groan was met with an equal one from Stiles a few heartbeats later, Stiles' cum splattering across both their chests.

Pulling out gently from Stiles, Derek got up out of bed and took the condom off carefully, discarding it in the wastebin. Turning back, he surveyed the sight on the bed, a satisfied grin pulling on the corner of his lips. "Fuck. Wanna get cleaned up?"

Stiles nodded slightly in return, too wrung out to form words. He let out a yelp though, as a warm cloth touched his chest, the methodical wiping leaving his skin refreshed.

When Derek was done, he returned the washcloth to the bathroom and went back to the bed, flopping down next to Stiles, pulling Stiles in so that they were touching. Stiles moved so they could kiss tenderly, pulling apart slightly and letting their breath mingle.

Eventually, they parted, resting their heads on their respective pillows, eyes closing as exhaustion from their love making and consequent orgasms hit them.

Derek spoke up, his words somewhat mumbled. "Sleep. We can shower later."

Stiles snorted, shifting so he was laying on his side, facing Derek. "Or we could go again. No use in wasting water. Love you."

Just as Stiles was falling into the space of nothing, dragged down by sleep, he heard Derek's response. "Love you."

\---

Three in the morning saw them reaching for each other again, slower than before, unhurried and with whispered exchanges of love and worship.

\---

Nine in the morning saw Derek reading a note that had been left on Stiles' side of the bed.

'We rushed into this. I love you, I think. I don't know. I need to clear my head. I've headed home, please enjoy the rest of the time left in Las Vegas. We need space. - S'


	5. Seven Years Later

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know nothing about the top management of business etc, so most of this is based on research and a half assed clue.

"Mr Stilinski, if you will please pay attention. The contract with Hale Yeah Solutions is extremely important, and it could make a world of difference. Including, might I add, a potential raise for you. Or even an entirely new job, one which you would be suited to."

Stiles straightened up, wincing a little as his back cracked. Spending hours hunched over a desk was not doing him any good. The only people who benefited from it was his boss, his chiropractor, and the verified massage spa parlour he'd taken to frequenting once he could afford it.

Facing his boss, Stiles straightened his tie and his glasses, a quick pat down ensuring he looked okay. Looking up, he caught the tail end of his boss' eye roll, her hazel eyes focusing back on him.

"Lydia, Mrs Martin, I'm sorry. I was just finishing up the report you wanted, that you absolutely couldn't trust anyone else with." The rest was left unsaid.

Lydia tilted her head, searching her memory for how long ago she'd asked him to complete the report. Normally it would be impeccable, a machine to be reckoned with. The new potential contract was worth millions though, and as a result she was in a frazzle.

The part where she could lose the best personal administrative assistant she had ever hired had her on edge. Not that he would be fired, but repurposed into leading what could be a big venture. Stiles had huge dreams, and thanks to his friendship with Lydia, and her influence, they now had the potential to be realised.

She absolutely trusted Stiles, but even so, she reached over and grabbed the report, Stiles shifting his pen off the paper just in time. Scanning it, Lydia pursed her lips. "Ah, this was the missing report I was just asking you about. You're still working on it. How long ago exactly did I ask you to do this?"

Stiles rubbed the back of his neck, turning to look at the time on his computer screen. "Two hours ago, I've been working on it since I finished sorting your schedule and doing the normal morning duties."

"Impressive. I thought it was later than…" A pause, as Lydia looked at the clock behind Stiles. '"11:30am."

Stiles rolled his eyes in exasperation, he felt the exact same way. Since the proposal of contract had come up, Martin & Whittemore had been a flurry of activity every single day. Stiles often felt like he'd only just gotten to work, when it was time to clock out again.

"Well, I need this finished in the next hour. Hale Yeah Solutions left a memo saying that the big boss would be here at one, after lunch, to discuss the contract and start laying out terms. This is it, things are starting to come together. I have to go tell Jackson."

The mention of Hale had Stiles wincing a little, but he also knew exactly how big the population of the United States of America was, and the chances that he and Derek were in the same city was so miniscule, it didn't even register in stats. He hadn't even had the time to check out their website, but he still stood by the population theory. After all, he had moved all the way from California to New York just to escape having to see Derek again.

If Lydia noticed it, she didn't say anything. There were rumors floating around Martin & Whittemore about the things Stiles didn't mention, about what those skeletons in his closet could potentially be, especially when it came to his love life, or the apparent lack of one. As far as Lydia was concerned, as long as Stiles did his job properly, she had nothing to fear or worry about. She had seen the man stay up all night just to finish a project that another team had completely messed up on, only to go home to shower, change clothes, grab food and coffee, and still come back to the office.

"I'll be back just before 12:50pm. It looks to be almost finished, proofread it and we'll run with it."

Lydia handed the report back to Stiles and swept out the door, heading for her husband's office. Stiles wasn't actually sure what Jackson did, as their paths never really crossed, but it was apparently integral to the running and maintenance of the company. Every time Stiles had seen Jackson though, the man was lounging around browsing various sites on his laptop, or one memorable occasion, playing poker with his assistant.

The part where Lydia hadn't berated Stiles for not finishing yet did not escape Stiles' attention. He knew that she must be kicking herself, this report was supposed to have been done a week or so ago, and the teams involved had sent multiple reassurances that it had been dealt with.

When Lydia had requested the report yesterday afternoon, Stiles had had a front row seat to the resulting mess, as people turned the office building upside down, yelling heard on all levels. People who were maintaining the day to day side of things were even yelled at, no idea what was going on.

Lydia had lost her cool, firing the manager of the team without blinking. The report had never surfaced, and she was pretty sure it had never been completed. Right now, she was using one of her contacts to spy on the ex-manager. She would sue the pants off of him by any means necessary. Danny was capable of finding out a lot of things, his magic with computers being something to see to be believed.

Stiles had been met with a harassed Lydia the next morning, as she shoved a stack of files in his face. Her only words had been "dDo the damn report. Find everything you need to know. Hell, make it a keynote list or something. God dammit."

Stiles seriously had a fear boner for the lady, but would never confess up to it seeing as he was married. There was also the part where Lydia would castrate him in a heartbeat.


	6. We Meet Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut. Potential dub-con. (I don't see it that way, but others may)

Lydia had arrived back in a flurry just before 12:50pm, quickly checking in with Stiles that he had finished the report as requested. She was pleasantly surprised when he handed her a print out, as the report she had grabbed from him earlier had been handwritten. After enquiring, Stiles told her that he cross referenced everything and made the final notes on his computer, which is why it had taken so long to finalise the report. He'd reassured her that he had this down to an art; relax, Lydia. This was how he'd survived his entire education.

She'd huffed at that and snatched the report and all of the files up, a quiet "Thank you, Stiles" emerging as she disappeared off out the door, presumably to the conference room where the meeting was being held.

\---

Stiles was caught up on all his other work and was bored. He was thirty minutes into browsing Facebook on his phone, stopping to answer the phone and take messages, when the door was thrown open, bouncing slightly off the gigantic pot plant that stood in the corner.

"Stiles. Get your scrawny butt down to the conference room now. I need you to explain to Hale everything we've done, the outline of this. Apparently I'm not good at explaining. Me. The Martin in Martin & Whittemore." She sniffed in disgust. "Jackson is no help, as per usual."

Stiles exited out of the facebook browser on his phone and put it in his desk drawer, standing up. Straightening up his shirt and tie, and doing a quick sniff of his armpits, with Lydia snorting in the background, Stiles walked around his desk, prepared to follow his boss.

Reaching the conference room, Lydia opened the door, motioning for Stiles to go first. As he entered in, he came to a stop, muttering "Oh, God" as he took in who was in the room.

Faces swivelled around to look at Stiles, various expressions meeting him. Confusion. Exasperation. Apathy. None of them mattered to Stiles except for the face that was angry. Or something. Stiles wasn't entirely sure right now, as Derek had filled out a lot since they last saw each other. It was amazing how seven years could change a person.

"Everyone out." Derek opened his mouth, the words registering in Stiles' subconscious. When no one moved, he spoke again, the words harsher and with more intent behind them. "I. Said. Everyone. Out."

Stiles went to move, the first to do so. Words met him, the same voice that had just spoken. "Except for Stiles." Stiles froze.

Lydia moved to protest, her words dying as she looked at Derek, wincing a little at the expression that met her. Whatever was going on, she was out.

A whirlwind threatened to sweep Stiles up as everyone gathered their stuff and hurriedly made their way out, stepping around Stiles who had managed to walk a few steps further into the room when movement had begun. Stiles didn't see them, his eyes staying connected with Derek's, who had stood up while everyone was packing their things up.

As soon as the room was empty, Derek spoke again, giving instructions. The sound of his voice jolted Stiles back to the present and into action. "Shut the door and lock it. Close the blinds."

Stiles blindly followed, the actions not that new in the scheme of things. He'd been in attendance to quite a few private chats in his time, his role as Lydia's right hand man meaning he knew far more than the average personal administrative assistant really should.

Once the blinds were closed, Derek spoke again, the words sending a chill down Stiles' spine. "Come here."

Turning to face the other man, Stiles looked at him, drinking it all in. He really didn't want to go over there, Derek's face was screaming murder.

"Stiles."

The warning tone overruled Stiles and he walked slowly over, coming to a standstill in front of Derek. As soon as they were facing each other, Derek pulled Stiles in, their bodies meeting. It didn't stop there, Derek crushing his lips to Stiles' in an angry kiss. It devolved as soon as Stiles kissed back, giving Derek permission. Derek's tongue slid against Stiles' lips, quietly demanding entrance; when Stiles let out a moan in the back of his throat, Derek seized the opportunity, and Stiles met him with continued eagerness, their tongues sliding against each other.

It seemed like an eternity later when Derek pulled back, both gasping down air as they seperated. Turning away from Stiles, Derek moved around before looking back at Stiles. One swift gentle push to Stiles' chest from Derek had Stiles sprawling in the seat Derek had been in.

Trying to wrap his head around what was going on, Stiles' eyes widened when he realised that Derek was kneeling in front of him. When Derek reached for the zip on Stiles' pants, Stiles wordlessly shifted his legs and nodded his head, giving Derek permission. Within seconds, Derek had pulled down Stiles' pants and underwear, leaving him exposed.

Without warning, Derek leaned forward and took Stiles into his mouth, eliciting a choked off groan.

Stiles clutched onto the arm rests of the chair, looking at the man who was going to town on his cock. Fuck, Stiles wasn't going to last. He hadn't had sex since he'd walked out, staying faithful to his vow of marriage. Sure, he'd used his hand and maybe some toys to get off, but this was a whole different realm of sensation, and he was so damn sensitive. It had been a long time.

With a warning cry, Stiles jerked his head back, slamming it into the headrest, and came down Derek's throat, Derek not moving away. When Stiles got too sensitive, he uncurled his fingers from the armrest and pushed weakly at Derek's head, pushing slightly. Derek moved, flicking his tongue across the tip as he released Stiles' cock.

Stiles looked weakly at Derek, lifting a hand and pointing at one of two doors on the far side of the conference room. "Bathroom is in there." Without a word, Derek got to his feet, planted a chaste kiss on Stiles' lips, and went to the soundproofed bathroom to finish himself off.


	7. Blackmail

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went through and changed some punctuation, as well as fixed a couple of mistakes.
> 
> If there are any more mistakes, please let me know.

Walking back into the main conference room, Derek found Stiles chewing on something while cleaning the seat that had had front row tickets to the show. Making his way back to where Stiles' was, Derek leaned against the table, studying Stiles. Without a word, Stiles shoved a small container into Derek's crossed arms, and took the cleaning cloth into the bathroom to rinse it off.

Derek looked at the container, eyebrows raising slightly and took a mint out, popping it into his mouth. He waited patiently for Stiles to come back, chewing slowly.

Presently, Stiles was standing in front of Derek, looking at him through narrowed eyes. Derek proceeded to ignore that, knowing an argument would be fruitless, and used the only card up his sleeve that he could think of. As soon as he had heard Lydia mention Stiles, he had feigned not understanding what she was telling him. Lydia had warned Derek that they were rushed due to 'idiots not doing their job properly', and that she was feeling frazzled as a result.

"Live with me again if you want this project to continue. I have no problems with withdrawing it from the table. I also have no problems with telling Mrs Martin that it's because of you."

Stiles' mouth dropped open, reminding Derek of the Stiles he once knew. A part of him was still angry at Stiles, but the repeated requests for divorce that Stiles had sent to Derek via Derek's parents address always yielded a one word answer from Derek. No.

Derek wanted answers. He wanted another chance with Stiles. He needed, wanted too much. If this was how he had to go about it, then so be it. Laura would be laughing at him so hard right now, acting as if he didn't care. She'd held him many nights while he cried, always saying meaningless soothing words whenever Derek questioned why Stiles had left like he did.

'"No. I mean. You can't just drop this. Lydia has been so excited about it, her and Jackson have been fighting more than usual lately. Like this might shut Jackson up or save her marriage or something." Stiles spoke up, his words carefully selected. This was important to a lot of people, not just Stiles or Lydia and Jackson.

Derek arched an eyebrow in response, careful to keep everything else about his expression blank. "So be my husband again, in every way. Not just by name."

The retort came hot and fast, quick on the heels of the end of Derek's sentence. "Six months, and if it doesn't work out, you grant me the divorce I've been asking for."

Derek let out a sigh, his lips thinning in disapproval. He didn't like the idea of it, but six months was better than nothing.

"Fine. See if you can get the rest of the afternoon off. You and I have things to discuss."

Stiles merely turned away with responding, choosing to walk to the door instead, unlocking and opening it. He hadn't even swung it fully open yet when Lydia popped up, seemingly out of nowhere. "Stiles, what the Hell. Is everything…" Lydia stopped, taking in Stiles' appearance. She changed tact. "Are you okay? You look thoroughly debauched."

Derek loomed over Stiles' shoulder without warning, and answered in Stiles' place. "I wasn't aware that having sex with my husband would invite so many intrusive questions."

Lydia's mouth opened and closed, reminding Stiles of a fish, and he wanted to laugh so badly. The last fifteen minutes of his life had done a complete one eighty, and he was feeling like he might just go insane.

"Mrs Martin. I was wondering if it would be possible for Stiles to have the rest of the afternoon off, I would appreciate it very much."

Lydia's mouth snapped closed and twisted, eyes narrowing a little. "I'll go with Stiles to the office to collect his things. He'll meet you in the lobby."

Stiles felt a little insulted at how they both ignored him while discussing him, as if he was a furniture fixture. Before he could say anything, Lydia had grabbed a hold of his arm and was towing him towards the elevators.

As soon as they reached the office, Lydia slammed the door shut and whirled on Stiles, words harsh as the questions poured out. "Stiles, is it true? Hale, Derek Hale, is your husband? How long have you been married? What is going on?"

Stiles took a deep breath, answering as honestly as he could. "Yes, it is true. We were, are childhood friends, we married seven years ago, I left him two nights after our wedding, and we haven't seen each other since."

Lydia was staring at Stiles with an expression he had never seen before, her cheeks taut, lips pursed together, eyes pinning him to the spot. If anything, she seemed to be in disbelief and shock. "Lydia, I have to see him. He…" Stiles paused, deciding honesty was the best policy. "He threatened to ditch the project. We have to have a trial marriage for six months."

Stiles was miserable, and it showed in his voice, how it came out small and lost sounding. He had hunched in on himself, as if to make himself invisible.

"I care about you. You were supposed to be another shitty person who couldn't do their job and would run off crying; I would ring HR and tell them to deal with you. But no, you met snark with snark, you bowled your way into being my right hand man. And I have no idea how to feel about this, which is a first for me. On the business side of things, I want this project, so a part of me wants to tell you to man up and do what needs to be done. A bigger part of me is ashamed that I even think that way, and wants to protect you."

Lydia was often short and to the point when she spoke, feeling that it was a waste of time to say otherwise. Her flowery speech, heartfelt and filled with sincerity, told Stiles that she genuinely cared. "It's ultimately up to me, isn't it?"

Lydia nodded. "Yes. Give it a chance, Stiles. You've looked like a cloud has been hanging over for you for years. I won't judge you. But try to fix it, or at least get some closure. I saw how you looked at Derek. The love for him has never disappeared."

While Stiles took in all that she had said, he almost missed the part she whispered after, her lips curled in distaste. "Unlike Jackass and I."

Stiles elected to grab his stuff, double checking with Lydia that it would be okay. Her nose wrinkling, she yanked the office door open and pushed him out. "Go. You'll be useless for the rest of the day, anyway. Tell Hale to call me when he's ready for another meeting."

Stiles left for the lobby, and the new direction his life was taking. He wasn't too happy with it, but it wasn't like he had a choice or a say in the matter.


	8. The House That Love Built

As soon as Stiles stepped out of the lift, Derek was there, expression tight and foreboding, grabbing Stiles by the forearm and dragging him out of the building.

Stiles flailed a little, yelping about having his own car here, he couldn't just leave it at work for however long this was going to take; he trailed off when he remembered that he had taken the subway to work. Scott, his housemate, had spilt his milkshake all over the interior a couple of days ago;. as an apology, Scott was paying for a car detail. The whole works. Since it was also Scott's day off, Scott was going to collect the car when the phone call came through, so Stiles effectively had no reason to keep making a fuss.

Giving in, Stiles climbed into the backseat of the car that Derek was holding the door open of, and proceeded to smack his hand into the window when Derek got in after Stiles. As soon as the door was shut, the car took off.

Stiles massaged his sore hand, staring at Derek, who was lounging back with his eyes closed. Stiles followed suit, giving in. Whatever Derek had planned was just going to have to be followed, whether Stiles liked it or not. He wasn't going to question how rich Derek was these days, if he had a chauffeur and apparently owned and ran a company.

\---

Stiles groaned as his shoulder was grabbed and shaken, eyes flying open to meet Derek's green ones. "What?" Stiles rubbed at his mouth, sighing with relief when he didn't feel any wetness. He must have dozed off, but not long enough to start drooling. That was an occupational hazard of being Stiles, he guessed.

Derek cleared his throat. He was suddenly annoyed that he had missed seven years of seeing Stiles wake up. Shaking his head so he could concentrate on Stiles, he finally spoke. "We're here. Come on."

Derek opened the door from the inside and stepped out, leaning back in to offer his hand to Stiles. Once they were both out, Stiles took a second to stretch, taking in the view. Derek lived on prime real estate, a large block of land with a mansion smack bang in the middle. Hale Yeah Solutions really must make a fair bit of money for this, Stiles thought to himself.

Derek didn't move from the car, and Stiles looked at him, noting that while Derek's face was shuttered, his knuckles were white where he was clenching the door. Derek was looking straight at the house, studiously ignoring Stiles, and Stiles followed his gaze, looking back at the house. It took a couple of silent minutes before he realised what he was actually seeing.

"You asshole."

Stiles was pissed off, his fists curling up in rage. Derek had no right to take this from Stiles. This had been a stupid dream, how he had wanted his future house to look. He had spent hours as a teenager, researching building materials and various aspects of interior design, consulting Derek when he couldn't make up his mind.

And now… It was real. Ten years on, and it was standing in front of him. Stiles' stomach sunk as he realised that his meticulous planning was probably followed inside. How dare Derek take his dream away from him. Was this some kind of show? Derek getting his revenge for Stiles leaving him, only a note left as a goodbye?

"Stiles…" The softness of Derek's voice had Stiles whirling, a hand raising up to jab a finger into Derek's chest.

"How could you do this to me? This was my dream."

Derek's expression closed off, and he reached up to grab Stiles' wrist, finally leaving the car and dragging Stiles off towards the house. The door opened as Derek neared it, revealing a slender woman with curled blonde hair, and a tall dark man with a shaved head.

Derek addressed them with a greeting, and introduced them to Stiles. '"Erica. Boyd. This is Stiles, the long lost husband I've told you about before."

Stiles flailed a little in surprise, almost tripping up, his anger abating as the confusion sunk in. Derek merely released Stiles' wrist in lieu of grabbing his waist, drawing Stiles into his side so that they touched. Without breaking stride, Derek continued talking, addressing Stiles this time. "Stiles, Erica is my housekeeper, and Boyd is the groundskeeper. They're married, and I have no idea why I hired them, they act like teenagers around each other all the time. It's annoying.''

His tone was pleasant, a complete change from the scene near the car, but Stiles rolled with it. He didn't want the strangers, Erica and Boyd, to know they had been fighting, or what about.

Erica smiled at Stiles, her expression coming across as genuinely friendly. "Stiles? Welcome home. We've been waiting for you."

Stiles got the impression that she was going to say more, as her mouth had moved to form more words, but she'd glanced away from Stiles over to Derek and abruptly stopped, her mouth slamming shut almost audibly.

"Come on in. Boyd and I were preparing some food, so we'll get back to that."

With another grin at the pair, Erica spun on her heel and disappeared into the bowels of the house, dragging Boyd behind her. Derek nudged Stiles forward, and they crossed the threshold into the house, showing Stiles exactly what he had thought. The interior matched his design as well.

Derek didn't allow Stiles to stop and have a gander, instead directing him to the sweeping staircase. "You should have a shower and change. Business clothes are strictly not welcome here."

At the top of the stairs, Derek lead Stiles into a small room, pointing out which door lead to the bathroom, and which door lead to a walk in wardrobe. As soon as Derek left, shutting the door behind him, Stiles walked into the bathroom, stripping his clothes off and chucking them in the laundry hamper by the door. The giant bathtub looked inviting, but Stiles knew he didn't have time to divulge in some pleasure, so he turned his attention to the shower. He groaned when he saw it was similar to the ones he'd picked out all those years ago. He'd been very thorough with his research, picking out even the smallest detail.

Turning the shower on to the right temperature, fiddling with knobs not needed due to the groovy inbuilt temperature pad, Stiles stepped under the flow. As he looked at the bottles in the shower caddy, he let out another groan and picked out a bottle of shampoo, leaning his head against the wall as he looked at it. It was his favourite brand. All of the bottles here were.

With another groan, Stiles lifted his head from the tiles and poured some into his hand, put the bottle back, and began washing his hair. He felt gross, anything that could have him feeling remotely clean and like himself again was more than welcome.

Rinsing off the last traces of body wash, Stiles shut the water flow off and stepped out, reaching for where the towel rack should be, fingers closing around soft fluffy material. Grabbing it, he pulled the towel towards him and began drying off hurriedly.

Wrapping the towel around his waist, he left the bathroom and headed to the wardrobe, opening the door apprehensively. Derek hadn't given any indication on what style of clothing Stiles would find in here, almost as if he knew that there would be no complaints.

As he walked in, Stiles had a look around, his brow creasing in confusion as he realised that it contained his style of clothing. Heck, he was pretty sure that some of the clothes actually were his, ones he'd left back in Beacon Hills when he'd made his escape to New York.

Further investigation revealed shoes, underwear, and a few other miscellaneous objects that were clearly to Stiles' taste. Grabbing some clothes, he hurriedly pulled them on, picking up the discarded towel and making his way out to the main bedroom.

He made a quick detour to the bathroom, hanging the towel back up on the rack, and retreated to the bedroom, investigating the contents. He stopped, hands wrapped around the photo frame he'd grabbed. It was of him and his parents. A wild glance around took in some of the other details, and Stiles made his way to the queen sized bed in the middle of the room, sinking down into the soft mattress.

It was clear that this was his bedroom, made for him. Stiles had always had this thing, that he would get married one day. There would be a main bedroom with an ensuite and a walk in wardrobe, but there would also be a bedroom set aside for both people, also with their own ensuites and wardrobes. A place for them to retreat, or to store stuff, or whatever. It'd been idealistic, but Stiles had always only wanted the best for whoever he was going to marry. He knew, deep down, that he'd hoped it would be Derek.

Taking a moment to study the photo in his hands, he got up and put it back, wondering when Derek had shipped some of this from California. Walking to the door, Stiles left, closing the door behind him, and made his way back downstairs.

Reaching the entrance way of where the lounge was, Stiles paused in the doorway. Derek was lounging on the couch, spread out. His hair was still damp from the shower he must have had, and the only clothes he had on was a pair of jeans. He had his head tilted back, resting against the back of the couch.

Stiles must have made some kind of noise, as Derek opened his eyes and lifted his head, focusing them intently on Stiles. Stiles stilled, drinking in the man before him. Derek had only improved in the years apart, full of muscles, all sharp lines and distinguished lines.

Stiles made his way into the room, Derek following his every movement without moving from his position. Perching on an armchair opposite the couch, Stiles kept looking at Derek, their eyes holding each other. With a groan, Derek raised a hand and brushed it through his hair, pushing the strands back. Withdrawing his hand, Derek let out another groan and lunged up off the couch, rounded the coffee table, and approached Stiles with speed, lifting him off the armchair as if Stiles didn't weigh much.

Shifting back around the lounge area, Derek settled onto the couch again, Stiles on his lap, legs either side of Derek's legs. Derek moved his hands so they grasped Stiles' hips, rucking up the material of his shirt, and rubbed his thumbs against the revealed skin in circular motions.

When the silence started to irritate Stiles, he spoke up, addressing Derek directly. "What's with the house? Why?"

Derek's thumbs paused, digging slightly into Stiles' skin; the pressure staying for a few seconds. Derek stared at Stiles, as if trying to look at his soul. Letting up the pressure after a moment, Derek resumed the circular motions of his thumbs, giving his answer. "It's for you."


	9. Home Is Where The Heart Isn't

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hate when people put notes at the end about trigger warnings. Kinda defeats the purpose imo.
> 
> Anyway. Erica still has epilepsy in this. We discuss this briefly.
> 
> Heads up: Next chapter is a time jump.

Stiles didn't reply, letting those three little words sink in; his mind turning over all aspects of this new information. This house had definitely been built according to those plans, a few details varying very slightly. He had never shown Derek the final design plans; shoving the folder in a drawer and letting everyone assume he had finished with it.

"There's an identical house just outside of Beacon Hills."

The words murmured by Derek had Stiles jolting slightly, shifting to look at Derek again. Derek let out a pained groan and stilled his thumbs again, sliding Stiles down his lap so that they were closer, abdomens brushing.

Stiles dumbly replied, trying to comprehend exactly what Derek was saying. "What?"

Derek busied his hands, lifting the material of Stiles' shirt up, and managing to pull it off, Stiles numbly obeying as he tried to work out what the Hell was going on. He shuddered as Derek took a nipple into his mouth, grasping the bud between his teeth and nipping gently.

Getting himself back together, Stiles pushed at Derek's shoulder. "Seriously, what are you talking about?"

Derek let Stiles go reluctantly, his tongue lapping at the bud to soothe it as they shifted apart.

"Your parents let me go through your bedroom, I found the plans in the back of a drawer in your computer desk. I was always going to get you back, Stiles. So I built two houses. One here, in New York, and one just outside of Beacon Hills. Wherever you want to make our home base, we have those options."

Stiles tested the waters, wanting to see Derek's reaction. "What if I theoretically settled on somewhere like France?"

Derek let out a small snort in response. "It would kill you to live that far away from your parents. I know that you currently detest being so far away from them right now."

Derek didn't let out the rest; blaming Stiles would get them nowhere. The longer the lines of communication could remain open, the more of a chance he had to keep Stiles by his side.

Mentally rearranging his thoughts, Derek barged on. "I want you to live here. I'll pay the rent for wherever you're staying, or something. This trial," Derek spits out the word with venom, "is as a proper married couple, which means you live here, and we share the same bed."

"Just because we'll be sharing a bed doesn't mean you get to have sex every single night."

Another voice joined them, interrupting. Stiles hunched in on himself as the voice continued, shamelessly. "Sex every night? You'll have to invest shares in condoms and lube."

Derek moved to glare at Erica, his eyes narrowing in displeasure. She simply kept grinning, it would take more than that for her to get fired, Derek had a heart of gold and knew how important it was to her that she had a job at all. "You sure got yourself hitched to a good lookin' man, darl."

The obnoxious fake drawl from Erica grabbed Stiles' attention, and he looked up, throwing her a dirty look. "Derek said you and Boyd were married. Why are you perving on me?"

A wild toss of blonde hair and a thrilled laugh filled the air, easing the atmosphere to something more bearable. "I can still run to the end of my leash and bark. Nothing wrong with that."

Stiles instantly decided he liked her, and flashed a grin back at her. '"Can I call you Catwoman?"

Erica drew near, taking care to not point out how they were situated. Despite what people thought about her, she still had tact when needed. "Only if I get to call you Batman. Maybe I'll finally be able to indulge my geek side with someone."

Erica frowned, she had heard the hint of sensitivity that had entered her voice. Before she could retreat inside herself again, Derek spoke up. "Erica, we might as well get the most important issue out the way. Stiles is not the sort to judge, he cares too much."

Erica was well aware of the seven years of separation, and what had happened. The conviction in her employer's voice, how sure he was about knowing Stiles, spurred her on. "I have epilepsy. The medication I'm on keeps it under control for the most part. No one would hire me because of it. I also don't have many friends…" She trailed off, feeling like she may have overstepped an unspoken boundary.

Stiles got up off of Derek's lap, not worried about his pants being too tight. Erica hadn't necessarily killed the mood, he was far more concerned with how upset Erica sounded.

Walking over to Erica's side, Stiles wrapped his arms around her and gave her a big hug, treating her as if she had nothing wrong with her; for Erica, it was new and completely different to how many others in her life has treated her. It seemed almost like they couldn't, or didn't want to, see beyond the disorder that affected her sometimes.

Erica returned the hug, holding on just as tight. A huff of laughter sounded near her ear, and Stiles spoke up, loud enough that Derek could hear it as well. "I'm not giving you a hug because I feel sorry for you, I'm giving you a hug because no one should ever sound that upset over something they don't have control over. You're still my Catwoman."

The wholehearted declaration and acceptance made Erica well up, and she held on, not caring. She only let up, releasing Stiles when yet another voice interrupted. "Erica, you okay?"

Dashing to Boyd's side, Erica clung to him, shamelessly using a clean spot of his shirt to mop up her tears, carefully dabbing at her skin so as not to disturb her makeup. '"Stiles and I were becoming friends."

Leaning in so that she could whisper to Boyd, she finished up. "I'll tell you the rest later. Nothing bad, I promise."

Boyd nodded, his only addition to the conversation being the most important. "That damn cat was trying to run off with the meat again."

Erica's eyes went wide with horror and she dashed off, screeching. Boyd merely turned to Stiles, updating him. "We have a stray cat here, it enters the house somehow. If there's any food out, the cat will try and run off with it."

Derek spoke up, interrupting Stiles' train of thought. "We can catch the damn cat later, and you can tame it then. Stiles, get back over here."

Stiles scampered to obey Derek, Boyd using the opportunity to join his wife in the kitchen. Stiles and Derek watched them leave, and Derek gave it a few more seconds before speaking up, filling in some of the gaps for Stiles' benefit.

"I hired her because of the epilepsy thing. She needed the job. Boyd was hired as the gardener and maintenance guy. He had to leave early one day when Erica had to be hospitalised. It was only natural to hire her as well; it certainly makes life easier."

Stiles frowned, a new question forming in his mind. Derek genuinely cared about others, so surely there was something else…

"Where do they live?"

Derek manhandled Stiles back onto his lap and swept a hand up and down Stiles' back, goosebumps erupting in the path's wake; replying once he was satisfied with how docile and relaxed Stiles was, leaning against Derek, their chests touching.

"They live here. I hired Boyd four years ago, Erica six months after that. There's a cottage out the back, far enough away from the main house that we don't tread on each other outside of work hours. It just made sense when their lease lapsed, to have them live here. I feel much better, knowing Erica has friends around who can react quickly if need be."

Stiles had a feeling that Derek wasn't giving him the full story, especially at calling his employee a friend. Stiles had no judgement on it, but he had always been curious, and now was no different. Stiles let it go though, he would have six months to find out the full story.

\---

They had lapsed into silence, looking at each other with quiet intensity. Stiles had broken the stare down first, leaning forward to kiss Derek gently, his hands sliding up to wrap around Derek's neck. This was still a new thing for them, but it felt so natural and so right, to touch each other like this, to be this intimate.

A loud and obviously faked cough interrupted them, and they sprung apart, just in time for Erica to round the corner wheeling an elegant serving trolley with a small stuffed black cat hanging by a string from one corner, a bat from the other. She parked the trolley near them and began arranging the various things onto the coffee table. She winks at Stiles when he notices, and he grins back. He had definitely been accurate with the Batman and Catwoman thing.

Erica surveyed the two and nodded to herself, addressing the room at large in a fake British accent. ''Afternoon tea is served. I made a selection of sandwiches, and there is coffee, tea, or water to choose from. Please call when you're finished, and let me know if you want dessert."

As soon as Erica had left the room, Stiles erupted into laughter. "She has a lot of fun with this, doesn't she?"

Derek frowned darkly as he grabbed a small plate and piled a small selection of sandwiches onto it. "You should see her when I'm forced to host a dinner party."

Passing the plate to Stiles, Derek grabbed another plate and grabbed some more sandwiches.

Stiles was halfway through demolishing a sandwich when Derek spoke up, tacking on an addition to the earlier topic. "I hope you like it here, Stiles. I want you to feel like this is a home."


	10. In The Blink Of An Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TIME JUMP! 
> 
> 2 weeks! 
> 
> Also, I know nothing about business stuff beyond research, so... take that with a pinch of salt

Stiles nudged the door open with his shoulder, feeling at ease for having lived here for two weeks now, hands full with more stuff for the cat. He knew that if he was caught, Boyd would glare at him, and Erica would actually dare to lecture him. "We're paid to do this, Stiles. Just let us do our jobs. It's boring around here most of the time."

Stiles had made a valiant effort to capture the cat. As soon as he had the spitting and hissing creature in a cat basket, he'd headed for the clinic where Scott worked. The head vet, Deaton, had rolled his eyes, but quickly corrected himself when Derek had walked in behind Stiles.

A check up, some vaccinations, a microchip, and an appointment for desexing later, Stiles and Derek learnt that they had a black female fur ball, aged about three years old. She wasn't quite feral, going quiet at having her head scratched. Deaton figured that she had been dumped as she grew out of being a kitten, but had adapted to survive on the streets, or rather, in Derek's backyard. They'd fought about the name, Derek rejecting every name from movies that Stiles listed. He'd faltered on Winifred Sanderson from Hocus Pocus, so Stiles had triumphantly declared the cat's name was now Winifred, Winnie for short.

Rolling his eyes at the imaginary Erica, Stiles dumped everything on the couch, much to Winnie's look of disapproval from her armchair, and made his way upstairs, hellbent on having a shower. As he was about to enter his own room, strong arms wrapped around his waist, drawing him into warmth.

"Shower with me. I'll make it worth it."

Stiles breathed out a "Fuck yes" and followed Derek to their joint bedroom, stripping off his clothes once they entered the room. Chucking them in the laundry hamper, Stiles followed Derek into the bathroom, eyes widening up at the scene in front of him. Derek had no intention of this being a shower, he'd obviously been laying in wait for Stiles to get home.

The bath was full enough for two grown men to sit in it, lazy curls of steam wafting off the top in between the bubbles. Stiles groaned in delight. This was something they'd been working towards, spending time together and revelling in the peace.

Derek climbed in and got himself in position, raising his eyebrows at Stiles invitation. Stiles clambered into the bath, Derek's hands rising to steady his progress. Once he was situated where Derek wanted, grabbed a jug and filled it up. "Lean your head back."

Stiles obeyed, and Derek carefully poured the jug over Stiles' hair, his free hand brushing through the strands to make sure his hair got properly soaked. Once satisfied, Derek put the jug somewhere, Stiles not paying attention. He jolted slightly as hands sunk into his hair and began massaging, bubbles plopping onto Stiles' nose indicating that Derek had begun shampooing Stiles' hair.

Derek massaged the suds into Stiles' scalp, and rinsed them out when satisfied. He moved onto soaping Stiles up slowly, taking the time to massage Stiles' body with leisure. If Derek kept this up, Stiles was pretty sure that when the six months was up, he wouldn't be leaving. Arousal wasn't necessarily a good basis for staying, though, and Stiles was dreading the time when they finally sat down together and really talked about what happened that night.

When Derek deemed Stiles to be too pruney, they got out of the bath; Derek taking care to dry Stiles slowly and with tenderness. Once they were both dried, Derek smirked at Stiles and lifted him up slightly to seat him on the counter. Dropping to his knees, Derek took Stiles' cock into his mouth and lavished it with his tongue and mouth.

Stiles came with a short cry, Derek drinking it all down before pulling off and resting his head against Stiles' thigh and panting harshly, his arm moving almost frantically, his own orgasm following shortly.

It was a few moments before either moved, Stiles offering Derek a damp face washer to clean up. When Derek handed it back, Stiles rinsed it off and laid it out over the surface of the counter, without leaving his spot. As Stiles turned back, Derek grabbed him and carried him to the bedroom, dumping him on the bed. Stiles yelped. "That's kind of an insult, Der. I know I'm not ripped, and that I don't exercise like you do. But seriously."

Derek let out a laugh, cut off an "oomph" as he landed on his stomach on the bed next to Stiles. "Maybe I just want you near. Did you ever think of that, Stiles? No. You only think of yourself." Derek's tone was light, teasing.

Stiles had no retort and decided to just lay there; recover from his unexpected but not unwanted orgasm.

\---

When they could finally move, they both elected to wear pants only, the house being warm enough to warrant not wearing more. There was also the part where they would casually touch each other without needing permission. It wasn't always a sexual thing. For Derek, it was about the reassurance that Stiles was really here; for Stiles, it was about double checking that this was really happening.

They made their way downstairs, Stiles racing off to see if Winnie was still curled up in her favorite armchair. Letting out a little cry, he scooped her up, leaning back as she let out half a hiss. It was work in progress, but at least she wasn't trying to scratch their eyes out anymore.

Stiles looked to the couch for the stuff he bought, sighing when he saw it was gone. Well, that imaginary lecture was not going to be so imaginary anymore…

"Stiles. How many times have I told you to just give one of us a list?" Erica swept through the room, coming to a standstill next to Stiles and peering down at Winnie. Stiles was pretty sure she was just using it as an excuse to perve at his chest. Stiles narrowed his eyes at her hair, even as Erica continued. "We are paid a lot of money, and Boyd is very meticulous with the upkeep of this place. We are so bored, we can do things like go shopping for you. I mean, I draw the line at a sex shop, that's very personal…"

Erica trailed off as the black furball was shoved into her arms, Stiles darting off to stand near Derek. "Why do we keep them hired?"

Erica looked up sharply, frowning. "You'd be lost without your Catwoman, Batman."

Stiles shook his head in resignation, and Erica merely walked back out, still holding Winnie. She'd had no reason to even go to the lounge room in the first place, but she might as well make it look like she's busy and knows what she's doing. She was good like that.

Derek sat down on the couch, patting the seat next to him in invitation. As soon as Stiles was sitting down, Derek launched into the most boring topic on Earth; work. "The contracts have been signed. Lydia wanted to tell you first, but I won that one. We want you to run the new branch that the contract will create. We've kept the signing of the contract on the down low, as Martin & Whittemore and Hale Yeah Industries are main competitors. The new branch will be in its own building, somewhere between both companies."

Stiles stared wide eyed at Derek, suddenly taking an interest in what he was talking about. Both companies dealt with design, engineering, and technology, combining all three to create some truly interesting products.

"We're creating a new branch so that we can have something to work on in our spare time. Both Lydia and I are wearing out, the risk of crashing and burning is too high, and the managing and directing our businesses is taking our attention away from our true passions. Lydia is amazing with math and potential designs, with a touch of engineering. I fill in the gaps perfectly."

Derek took a deep breath, trying to sort out the rest and get it all out without boring Stiles to sleep. "Lydia submitted a couple of designs through her own company, both of which were rejected. That's when she realised that she didn't have as much power in the smaller levels of management as she wanted. So this… This is basically a side activity, although we will be redistributing management tasks in our own companies. We want a lot more hands on in it though, and also want to accept people who have been rejected by Martin & Whittemore or Hale Yeah Solutions. A way to give people a chance and some exposure."

Stiles twisted so that he could wrap his arms around Derek's neck, hugging the other man tight. "That was a very recent thought, so I know this is something you're doing because you're passionate about it. Thank you for making it possible."

Stiles had had an idea about what Lydia and Derek had been planning, but having the reasons behind it explained to him made it much more clearer. Lydia had tried to be more open with him too, now she knew that Stiles was married to the other party, but there was only so much she could say at work. On paper, it was clear cut, looking like a side venture to make some more money, or even for tax reasons. In person, it was far more personal, and not something that Lydia would want others in the company to know. Heck, Stiles had his suspicions that even Jackson didn't know.

Derek didn't reply, shifting and taking Stiles with him instead, so that they were soon laying on the couch, Stiles on top of Derek. Derek held onto Stiles, his hands splayed across Stiles' back, trying to keep Stiles forever. He didn't say it out loud, he wanted Stiles to make the choice on his own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend was REALLY into Hocus Pocus when I was writing this, so credit for the cat's name goes to her.


	11. Back To The Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time jump again - two months after the trial began.
> 
> Hale + Stilinski family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapters. It was always my intention that this was to be posted as I wrote the chapters, but alas.

Lydia and Derek had worked against Stiles and organised for him to take time off. At two months into the trial, neither Derek or Stiles had informed their families about the marriage, all that they knew was that something had happened in Las Vegas; something so bad that Stiles and Derek hadn't spoken to each other in seven whole years. Laura was the only one who knew what had happened, from Derek's side of things. She didn't blame Stiles though, she had seen that note. Her only comment on it was "He must be hurting too, Derek. No one writes 'I love you' in a goodbye note, even if it does have 'I think' after it."

Now Stiles and Derek were on a plane to California, where Laura would meet them at the airport. None of them had told their parents what was happening or that they were coming to Beacon Hills, as they had their own house to go to; they wouldn't be imposing on anyone too much with an unexpected visit. Plus, the surprise would be nice, that was the main reason. Work was just too hectic to be able to drop everything and fly to the other side of the country on a whim. And with Stiles and Derek back together? Definitely an added bonus.

Laura had made a vague comment about Cora flying in from New Orleans as well, not wanting to the miss the big seven year reunion, as she called it. She'd added that she had told Cora it was possible that both Stiles and Derek would be in Beacon Hills at the same time, but nothing beyond that. Stiles had made trips back to Beacon Hills, he'd just made them when he knew Derek wouldn't be there. He'd also paid for Claudia and Noah to come to New York for some of the holidays, like Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas. If Cora was expecting fireworks of the angry, everyone shouting at each other, doors slamming kind, she was going to be extremely disappointed. Cora had always had a flair for the dramatic.

\---

As Stiles and Derek made their way into the main area of the airport, they were nearly bowled over as Laura flew at them, wrapping an arm around each man and holding on. "I thought you were pranking me or something, Derek. You two caught the same flight and everything, you weren't joking."

Laura pulled back enough to look at Stiles, their noses almost touching. "Stiles, don't hurt him again. I will find you and cause you immense amounts of pain." Turning without pause, she did the same to Derek, her words slightly different. "I don't know what you did, but don't do it again. I'll think up a threat that's actually plausible, later."

She finally released them a little while later, her joy at seeing them together just too much for her, and headed towards the luggage pick up for Stiles and Derek's flight. "Cora's flight lands in approximately…" Laura looked around wildly for a clock, "...forty five minutes, according to the email she sent me last night. Grab your luggage, then we can find what gate she'll be arriving at, and greet her."

They made their way to the carousel and got their suitcases quickly, one per person as Derek had assured him they wouldn't need to pack much. Derek had assured him that there were clothes in the house at Beacon Hills as well, just not as many. Stiles figured that they could duck off to a clothes shop or something if they were in dire need of more clothes.

Laura didn't question them on the lack of luggage, and headed towards the gate where Cora's flight would be landing instead, the phone now in her hand with Cora's email on display.

They reached the gate and stood near it, watching as the plane taxied in. Passengers piled off, and the trio watched eagerly, waiting for Cora to arrive. Towards the end, as the last stragglers walked out, Cora finally appeared, head down as she powered up her phone and checked messages. At the top of the ramp, she finally looked up and spotted them, rolling her eyes.

Laura ran to embrace Cora into a hug as soon as she could, at which Cora awkwardly patted Laura on the back for a second, then pushed her away. "I saw you two weeks ago, you big nerd. Stop acting like it's been years."

Laura laughed, "But I'll always miss my baby sister, just as much as I miss my baby brother all the time."

Cora rolled her eyes again, and focused on Stiles and Derek. "Speaking of… I'm surprised that you two are here together."

Stiles shrugged and Derek didn't bother to dignify that with an answer, leaving Laura to change the topic. "So, how was New Orleans since I saw it last?"

\---

After collecting Cora's luggage as well, they had finally piled out to the car for the two hour drive back to Beacon Hills. Cora called shotgun, which Stiles went to fight her for, miming strangling Cora. Laura raised her eyebrows behind Cora's back and nodded towards Derek. Stiles glared at Laura in return, Cora catching it and twisting so she could look between Stiles and Laura to try and work out what was going on.

As soon as Cora was belted up, she twisted in the car seat so she could glare at Stiles and started to give him an intense interrogation on what he had been doing for the last seven years. Any time she tried asking about Las Vegas all the years again, Derek or Laura would chime in and attempt to change the topic, something that didn't escape Cora's attention.

Tempers were beginning to run a bit short at Cora's insistence on asking Stiles, when they finally reached the house in Beacon Hills. Laura had taken some shortcuts to avoid peak hour traffic, and they'd reached the house from San Francisco rather quickly by travelling standards.

As Laura pulled up and parked the car, everyone scrambled for the doors, pushing them open and tumbled out, stretching their limbs and taking in fresh air. Derek fetched the house key from his pocket and opened the house up, and everyone piled in, looking around. Stiles snorted; the house was identical to the one in New York. Derek really hadn't been joking when he said 'identical.'

Derek gave Stiles a dark look, opening his mouth to speak; Laura interrupted before he could speak though. "Well, I better go take Cora to Mom and Dad's. They're expecting her right around now; any later and they'll start to panic. Tonight is the Hale-Stilinski dinner at the Hale house, we get food delivered as no one can be bothered cooking for that many people, so be there just before seven."

Laura and Cora left the house, shutting the front door behind them, and headed for the car, while Stiles and Derek made their way upstairs to the bedrooms, the moment at the door long forgotten. "Thank heavens Kira was available to deal with cleaning up and airing out the house. She's a godsend." The throwaway comment from Derek was noted by Stiles, but Stiles didn't reply. He would work out who that was later.

While lugging their suitcases behind them, Stiles finally gave in to his curiosity, two months in the making. "How much money do you have, exactly? How did you even get this rich?"

Derek was silent until they reached the landing, turning to Stiles. "A distant relative gave us some money in her will as revenge on her own family, a few months after Las Vegas. I invested some of it into shares, and poured the rest into creating my company. The name was thought up by Laura while we were drunk one night, and unfortunately, I'm stuck with it. Too risky for a rebrand."

Derek reached the main bedroom door and opened it, walking inside. Stiles followed, unsure of what to do. "I make a lot, I honestly can't tell you how much I have. I do know it's enough that I don't have to worry about anything except losing it."

Derek put his suitcase on the bed and opened it, taking out items and putting them on what was his side of the bed back in New York. When Stiles didn't move, Derek glanced up and frowned. "Stiles. Just unpack what you want in here. We're here for a week, no point in really unpacking stuff around the house. We still have our individual man caves, as you keep calling them."

Stiles nodded with a jerk, and copied Derek's earlier actions, taking what he needed and wanted out of his suitcase. Stiles had brought along some of his more comfortable clothes that couldn't be replicated, a few DVDs, some books, and some gifts for everyone. They were apology gifts, to make up for how often he didn't visit Beacon Hills.

\---

At 6:30pm, Derek grabbed the car keys and found Stiles. "Hey. We should hit the road. It's about fifteen, twenty minutes to the Hale house from here." Stiles nodded and followed Derek downstairs and out to the garage where there was a car. Stiles wasn't even surprised anymore, not after finding out how rich Derek potentially was. Before they climbed in, Derek looked at Stiles and let out a small huff, laced with laughter. "I come here often enough that it's easier to own a car, rather than rent one all the time."

Unlocking the car, they piled in, buckled up, and made their way out to the Hale estate. The Hales had always had a bit of money laying around, as they referred to it, and the amount of land they owned, along with the gigantic old Victorian mansion in the middle of it was testament to what they didn't say.

Stiles began to fidget with his seatbelt as he contemplated seeing both their families together again. His fleeting visits to Beacon Hills had always just been to see his mom and dad, rest for a few days, and generally catch up before he left again. He hadn't actively sought out any of the Hale family members, although he had seen them around town.

Derek reached out to grasp Stiles' knee and try to calm him, breaking the silence that had filled the car. He updated Stiles on some of the more important information that should have mentioned a month ago. "I paid off debts for your parents, and I also bought their house for them. Mom let it slip that she had seen you around town, but you and her hadn't really spoken to each other. I thought I'd let you know, so if it's brought up…"

He trailed off as they turned off the main road and onto a private road. Stiles looked at the scenery as it passed by, making a comment just before the final bend in the road. "Thank you. I know you think I'm going to be mad at you or something, but the stress was eating at Dad. To know he doesn't have to worry about it… Thank you."

They rounded the bend to the Hale mansion, and Derek parked the car amidst all the other cars turning it off, sitting back and taking a deep breath. "I know we didn't talk, but I didn't cut your family out. They've tried to do their best to understand and give us room, so it was the least I could to pay them back for being as amazing as they have been."

Stiles nodded at the end, and turned his focus to the looming house. He let out a deep sigh. "No turning back now."


	12. Dinner Wasn't So Bad, Actually

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing the Hale-Stilinski joint family dinner.
> 
> Revelations are had. Laura gets a lot of feels.

No one had appeared on the porch by the time Stiles and Derek reached it; with a glance at each other they walked up the steps and to the front door, opening it. A rush of noise assaulted their ears, and they quickly understood why they hadn't been heard. Laura really had not been lying about no one wanting to cook for that many people.

Making their way inside and to the front room, Derek and Stiles stopped in the entrance and looked around the room. As soon as Laura saw them, Derek spoke up, everyone falling silent as the new voice joined the cacophony. "Woah, Laura. You didn't state that it was almost the entire Hale side for the Hale-Stilinski dinner."

Claudia made her way over to the men first, doing what Laura had done at the airport; pulling them both into a hug. "Seven long years, I have been waiting for this. We all have, but we won't dwell on it. Come in, come in. We were arguing about what to order, it's tradition by now."

Talia spoke up when Claudia finished her rush of words. "Well, as our unexpected guests of honor, you two get to decide. It's also a tradition by now." She moved forward to hug them, Claudia stepping aside just in time. "So what will it be?"

Stiles and Derek looked at each other, Stiles speaking up tentatively. "Chinese?" Derek nodded his approval.

Samuel appeared out of nowhere, handing Talia a notepad and a pen. She took orders from Stiles and Derek first, Derek handing her his credit card wordlessly just before she moved on. Talia raised her eyebrows, and turned to address the room at large. "It seems Derek is paying for all of us. Don't actually send him broke, you weren't raised by wolves." She continued on her way around the room, Samuel taking her spot in front of the two.

He also wrapped his arms around Stiles and Derek, but kept it to a short hug, his only comment being "Welcome home." It was a reminder of how much Derek took after his father.

Stiles and Derek ventured further into the room, joining the fray, and grabbed a spot on the floor, sitting next to each other. Derek nudged Stiles with his knee, wanting more contact than that, but knew it was impossible because everyone else didn't know about the marriage thing.

As Talia came back from phoning in the order, announcing to the room at large that it would be about an hour, Stiles sprung up from his spot and grabbed one of Derek's hands. "Come on. We have to talk. Somewhere private.''

A few eyebrows around the room arched up in surprise, and Laura snorted into her cup. Derek scowled at her as he got up, and meekly followed Stiles out of the room.

Memory led Stiles upstairs to the far side of the house. It was the most privacy they were going to get, without having to leave the house. As soon as the door was shut, Stiles faced Derek, keeping his distance.

"I just… I just want to get a few things straight." Stiles started up, trying not to show he was panicking. The time had come, maybe it was a good thing that their families were nearby. '"I ran away because I was scared. I still am. We were also drunk, so I don't know how clearly you were thinking, although I was all in for it. I also wished that we'd had more time to go on dates, woo each other, be that disgustingly-cute couple that can't keep their hands off each other. Also, our wedding was the worst. Batman was cool, I remember that much. But I'm pretty sure I swore while saying "I do." I also wish both of our families had been there. I still love you, that much has never changed. I stayed faithful, too. I could never hurt you, never cheat on you. Please forgive me."

Stiles ran out of steam by the end, choosing to sink to the floor instead. He stared at the floorboards intently, studying the wear and tear of the wood. It was all he could do to not have a panic attack.

He startled when Derek sat down next to him and leaned into Stiles, their shoulders touching. "Yes, our wedding sucked. I can't change it, but if you had told me all that, then I would have been able to do all of that stuff. Date you, woo you, whatever."

Derek spoke softly, his words truthful. This was a tough topic that they had been skirting around in the two months they'd been together, shying away from it was not going to do them any favors in the long run.

"I stayed faithful too. It wasn't hard, convincing everyone else that I didn't want to go out on any dates was, though. And, Stiles? I love you. I asked you to marry me. I wasn't that drunk, not until after we exchanged vows. We still have five months left of the trial. I don't want you to leave, but I know that I realistically can't expect you to stay when that time limit is up."

He lapsed into silence, letting that big speech sink into Stiles' brain.

"Heck, if you wanted to leave me right…"

Derek was cut off by soft lips touching his, hands wrapping around his neck. He kissed back, turning it filthy as they opened their mouths, tongues delving into a passionate battle.

When they came up for air, Stiles looked around and then back to Derek, letting out a little huff. "Really?" He ignored what Derek had been saying, he was pretty sure that the kiss he'd interrupted Derek with was answer enough.

Derek grinned back shamelessly. He was all for the comfort, and Stiles resting on top of him from their horizontal position was more than comfortable in terms of needing the closeness and reassurance. "Really."

Stiles studied him, brown eyes sweeping across Derek's features. He swooped down to kiss Derek again, a light press of lips on lips.

"We have to tell them. We have to clear this up. I'm not mentioning the trial thing though."

\---

Pausing once again in the entrance to the front room, Stiles loudly made a trumpeting noise, causing Derek to choke out a little laugh in surprise and amusement.

As soon as they had everyone's attention, Stiles spoke up. "Derek and I got married seven years ago in Las Vegas. I freaked out and ran off, did an excellent job at avoiding that whole thing, but now we're together again. Yes, I'm the one to blame, Derek did nothing. No, I will not be answering anything else to do with the marriage side of things."

As soon as he finished rambling, Laura let out a loud whoop. "Thank fucking finally! Seven years of having to comfort my little brother. OW." She stopped and pursed her lips at her mom, Talia glaring right back. "Don't hit your children."

"You're not a child anymore, Laura, you're a pain in my ass. No idea why I still love you or let you hang around like a bad smell." Talia was teasing with the rest, but the disappointment laced into her voice was not left unheard.

"Uh uh, Mom. This is why Derek begged me to never tell you. Because you would have interfered. Anyway. We're making the two recently reunited lovebirds uncomfortable, and food should be delivered here in twenty minutes. Let's get a shuffle on and locate the cutlery and napkins."

The redirect was followed after Talia let out an undignified snort. Laura had called her on it, and as much as it annoyed Talia to no end, she recognised that her children were grown up; she wasn't privy to all of the skeletons in their respective closets these days.

\---

Ten minutes later, the doorbell sounded, and there was a mad scramble to answer it. All the takeout joints in Beacon Hills were now used to the Hale and Stilinski families helping bring in all of the food they delivered, so they only sent a car out with one driver.

As soon as all the food was in, Derek tipped the driver $100, and everyone marched inside, ready to unpack and be given what they ordered. There was an art to it, they'd managed to figure it out about six months into the first year.

Peter Hale, his wife, and their three kids got served first. Noah and Claudia were next, followed by Laura, Cora, and a few of the other Hale relatives and their offspring that had made Beacon Hills and surrounding towns their homebase.

Derek and Stiles were second to last, finished up by Talia and Samuel.

The kitchen table only had bags, a huge stack of napkins, and random assorted cutlery strewn across it by the time Talia was finished matching food orders to people.

The next thirty minutes were spent between eating and lobbying oddball questions in the direction of Stiles and Derek.

Talia, Claudia bobbing her head in the background: "Why did you get married?"

Laura: "Omg, tell me who proposed to who and how."

Cora: "Ugh, you were sort of drunk? Do you even remember the ceremony?"

Noah: "Batman married you two? Ha."

Peter's wife, Natalie: "Have you two had sex yet?"

That gave everyone great pause. Peter was usually the creepy one, ready to ask questions that were typically considered taboo. Obviously he was starting to rub off on his wife.

Amazingly, it was Stiles who answered. "There are innocent kids here, I'm not answering that." He studiously avoided looking at the children who were grouped in a corner of the room. He was well aware that they were following the conversation. "I'm not their parents, so I'm not teaching anyone about the birds and bees today."

Natalie let out a loud laugh. "That was a bit too far, I agree. I also apologise." She turned back to her food, everyone joining in. The room lapsed into a comfortable silence, everyone more intent on finishing their food before it got cold.

\---

The noise inside had proven too much for Stiles and Derek once dinner was finished. Talia and Claudia declared that guests didn't have wash up duty, which caused Laura to let out a loud hoot. "Yeah, all that cutlery is going to be just such a pain in the ass. Or back, literally." Cora grabbed a tea towel and twisted it up, then whipped it out so that it smacked Laura across the backside. Talia gave Cora a thumbs up as Laura went to strangle Cora.

Slipping out into the passage, Derek led Stiles to the cupboard and pulled out old jackets and blankets. Together, with their arms full, they walked outside to the front and claimed the porch swing. Dumping their armfuls down, they shrugged on the jackets; Stiles shoved Derek down and placed the blankets carefully around him, sitting down when he was down. He pouted when Derek rearranged everything, pouting a little. His mood improved when he realised that Derek had done it so that they could hold hands under the blanket.

Stiles broke the silence first, his breath showing in the cold air. "You know they're going to interrogate us tomorrow, right? Acceptance tonight doesn't mean much when you consider tomorrow." He let out a snort at the ridiculous mental image that popped up. "I wouldn't be surprised if Dad arrested you or me, or both of us, and took us to the station for an interrogation."

Derek nudged Stiles with his elbow gently. "It'll be okay. Are we going to tell them the whole truth, or leave some things out?"

Stiles pondered it with great thought. If they left things out, both their families would find out later, regardless. There was a chance they would understand, but there was also the chance that Derek's family would be mad at Stiles, and maybe… For whatever reason, Stiles' family might be mad at Derek. It had great potential to rip apart the two close families; after witnessing the easy comradery tonight, he knew that that would be a great shame.

"We tell them everything. No matter how hard it is." Stiles winced a little as he spoke the next part, feeling how Derek tensed up. "Even the six month trial, which is still a thing."

Derek didn't bother to reply, the harsh reminder was a slap across the face. He only had Stiles for a short time, it was still up to Stiles if he stayed or left at the end. There were still four months to go.

Lost in their own respective thoughts, they kept silent, Stiles the first to let out a shout when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Derek and he both turned their heads and looked at who it was, Derek's eyebrows going up at the sight of Laura.

She smiled at them, and dumped the box of alcohol on Stiles' lap. "Shuffle over. You and your boo can be all romantic and keep holding hands under the blankets."

Stiles obeyed, managing to not dislodge the box that had been dumped unceremoniously in his lap. Derek grabbed a blanket and held it out to Laura, who grabbed it and sat down, wrapping the blanket around her legs. "Give me some of the alcohol, Stiles."

Stiles let go of Derek's hand and wrangled both his hands from under the blanket. He made quick work of the box and pulled out a bottle of alcohol, handing it to Derek, one for Laura, and finally one for himself. Just as he was wondering what to do with the box, Laura used her free hand to grab it and rest it on the ground next to her, twisting awkwardly to do so.

They popped open the bottles and drank, the only sound being their drinking, the occasional wildlife noise from the preserve in front of them, and a disjointed laugh when someone came closer to their side of the house.

"Stiles. Derek told me everything. I won't go into it, it would hurt Derek too much. I kind of want to kill you, dismember you, go for a little scenic tour and discard of your body parts, but…" Laura paused, taking a sip from her drink to spend some time collecting her thoughts. "Whatever happens, whatever you decide, make sure you do it with your heart and your brain, and do what is right for you. You'll both end up being hurt in the long run. I know about the repeated request for a divorce. I've seen and heard a lot of things an older sister shouldn't have to, and doesn't really want to. Please, Stiles."

She begged at the end, her heart feeling like it was being crushed at the thought of them breaking up or hurting each other. No matter what happened, unless they stayed together because it was what they wanted, they would only hurt each other. For twenty three years, Derek and Stiles had been an undefined chaos. They had united two families, they had caused grief as well as chuckles in their path of destruction. They were DerekandStiles, two people who were as close as close could get, close friends.

Laura slid her face into her elbow as if sneezing, and used the moment to get herself together. She was stronger than this, and she didn't want to accidentally guilt trip or blackmail them into something they didn't want.

Derek reached around Stiles and placed a hand on Laura's shoulder. Stiles shifted so he could lean against her, just avoiding where Derek's hand was placed. "It'll be okay. We're talking now. We…"

Derek trailed off and Stiles picked up. "We're muddling our way through things. You need to stop worrying so much about us right now, I'm guessing you did that big sister thing where you forgot that you have your own needs to meet, and made sure Derek didn't do anything stupid, right? Well. You need to take care of yourself now."

Stiles paused, copying Laura as he drank. "I don't know what the future holds. I can't make promises if I don't know I can keep them. But for now… Let it be."

No one responded or moved, except for Laura when she moved her face away from the crook of her elbow and rested her arm on top of Stiles' head so she could place her hand on top of Derek's hand.

Stiles drank the rest of his bottle and started  moving the swing slowly with a foot. He could feel the tension in the air, and grabbed on one thing to try and bring back the easiness.

"Laura, it's like the song… The snow glows white on the mountain tonight, not a footprint to be see. A kingdom of isolation, and it looks like I'm the king of fuck ups."

The siblings let out a snort either side of him, and joined in, messing up the lyrics as needed. They were on the final 'Let it Go' part, singing loudly, when the outside light came on, causing them to trail off on the final 'let it go'.

Talia made her way outside and perched against the railing. "You guys okay? You've been out here for a while. Nice singing by the way."

Laura and Derek made eye contact over Stiles, making faces at each other, and turned to look at Stiles, who had slid so his head was resting on Laura's breasts. Stiles merely reached up and awkwardly booped both siblings on the nose, leaving his empty bottle on his lap. He was the one who answered, his fingers still on the siblings noses. "Yeah. Just making up for seven years of being a stubborn Stiles."

Talia let out a small laugh, along with "Must take after your mother, Stiles. She told me how stubborn she can be sometimes." Talia smiled gently, taking in the three of them, and grabbed her phone out of jeans pocket. Swiping it open, she opened the camera app silently, and continued. "Derek, I hope you have the patience of a saint, because you're going to need it with Stiles."

She snapped a few photos in succession, showing them relaxed, the looks of outrage as she had continued, and the glare that Derek was throwing Laura as she had burst into laughter. Talia looked through them, pausing on the last one. Stiles was looking at Derek like Derek was a puzzle he'd just solved, and was elated to have found the answer that laid within.

She swiped back to the first photo. Stiles was looking at Derek with love, even as he was taking his finger away from Derek's nose. It was honestly probably a close shave that he hadn't shoved his index finger up Laura's nose or poked one of her eyes out with the way he was looking at Derek. Dear heavens. These two were a mess.


	13. Business and Home Don't Combine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another time jump - 3 months in

Three months into the trial, and Lydia and Derek were moving quickly to finish off the interior decorating at the new business location. They had sought out and bought a building within days of the contract being signed, but their focus has been spread thin with the restructuring happening at both main companies. Human resources had been forced to hire new people, at risk of being fired, and Lydia had hired Danny to work his magic on his computers and stop certain businesses, people, and news media companies from getting too close to the project as it was being set up. Lydia had plans for how this was going to be unveiled, and damned if anyone ruined it for her.

Stiles was tasked with training someone to take on the role that he was vacating. Being Lydia's right hand person was a daunting task to the average person, and so only the best would do. Lydia left him to look through the resumes alone, and to do the interviews with personnel from HR. As far as she was concerned, he knew exactly what the requirements were, and she knew he would do his damned best to find someone who matched exactly that, even the unspecified requirements that came hand in hand with the job.

The resume of a young female by the name of Allison caught Stiles' eye; it wasn't particularly fancy or eye catching, but the places where she had worked, and how long for, were of interest. They were known to be harsh work environments, but the dates she worked on her resume suggested she had managed to work with what was given. He scribbled down the number written on the resume and rang her, making a time to meet up over coffee at the nearby cafe.

Meeting up with Matt Daehler from HR, they got to the cafe first and made themselves comfortable, locating a table that gave them a good view of the shop. Allison found them as she walked in, and made her way over. Exchanging pleasantries, Stiles informed her that the company would pay if she wanted to order a coffee and a bite to eat.

Once seated with their drinks and food, Stiles launched into the interview, asking questions with rapid fire ease. He enjoyed it when Allison gave back coherent answers just as quickly, equally as impressed when she took her time to chew over ones designed to make her think.

Within a few minutes, he established that they were almost identical in career interests and how they handled themselves. Allison freely admitted that a few of the previous companies had underwhelmed her with challenges and so she'd quit them, moving onto a more challenging role instead until she'd also managed to master that one as well. Hence the reason her resume was extensive. An impressive feat, Stiles considered it; some of the companies listed were far worse than Martin & Whittemore were on a bad day.

The eagerness she showed as Stiles described Lydia, her future potential boss, and how Martin & Whittemore worked was what got her employed. For the first two weeks, Stiles showed Allison the in and outs of her new job, teaching her how the computer system worked, how his personal system worked, pleased when she caught on, and how to calm Lydia down when she got too upset.

Lydia had deemed Allison 'capable' at first, which wasn't quite the insult it could come across as. Allison was quickly moved up to 'superb and proficient' when Lydia had had to deal with a crisis, her yelling heard across three levels. Stiles was on lunch break when it had happened, and Allison had quickly placed a phone call to order chocolates and a gourmet coffee for Lydia, presenting them a minute after the flustered man had walked unsteadily out of the reception area to Lydia's office.

The restructuring that Lydia had put into place was a mess, but with Stiles' organisational skills, they'd made quick work of it and got everything into order. Stiles had fully been expecting Jackson to kick up a fuss at some point, but according to Lydia, they'd sat down and talked about it five weeks ago - when Stiles was with Derek in Beacon Hills.

Stiles had to fit that around the trips to the new location, Lydia and Derek both adamant that as Stiles would be Chief Operating Officer, his input was the most valued. Stiles had had very little input though, as Lydia had made noises about the interior design and what should go where. He nearly choked when she made it clear that Stiles' suite was the first to be finished. She'd only winked at him when he discovered that the suite included a bedroom, and had ignored Stiles anytime he brought the topic up. He'd eventually quit asking.

\---

Stiles stopped writing on his laptop and looked at the clock on the opposite wall, stretching when he saw the time. He saved his work and powered down the laptop, then pottered around his office packing up stuff to take home.

The first day of working at Imagination Creation had gone smoothly. Lydia had poked her head in once, and made some phone calls. The opening slash reveal day was a week away, so getting prepared and looking like they knew what they were doing was extremely important.

As Stiles shoved the last handful of papers in the briefcase he'd had to buy, a knock sounded on the door. He looked up sharply, smiling as he looked into Derek's eyes. "Hey. I wasn't expecting you to finish early. You said I could call for the car if need be."

Derek walked in and shrugged his jacket off, loosening his tie, unbuttoning the top buttons on his shirt. "Forgot I had a business meeting that was running all day. It finished early, so I decided to bail. Perks of being the owner, I guess."

Stiles grinned in response and followed Derek out of the office, locking up as he went through.

Once they were in the car, Stiles began drumming his fingers on the centre console. He was agitated and bothered by a particular thought that had popped up, unwelcome as it was. It had merit though, and needed discussing. He just wasn't sure how to go about talking about it with Derek, and this trial with the marriage thing. He needn't have bothered, as Derek speaking up was what broke the dam.

"Stiles. What is bothering you? You were fine when we left the office, but now you're fidgeting."

Stiles inhaled, and blurted it all out, only pausing long enough to inhale air. "We're doing the trial thing, right? And I really want to see where we stand at the end of the six months. But Imagination Creation is going to force us to spend a lot of time apart, if it takes off like you and Lydia are predicting. I'm still not quite sure why Lydia had a bedroom installed, is she expecting me to work all the time and into the night? Derek. I'm scared. I'm just trying to take this one day at a time, just one moment to the next. What if this breaks us apart?"

Derek kept his eyes on the road, navigating traffic skilfully, and took his time with his reply. Stiles had started to think that Derek may have even tuned his word blurt out, as they pulled up to their house.

"Lydia has become somewhat invested in the status of our relationship. We discussed it seriously, and she said she would research pointers that a relationship is failing. Something about creating a checklist and laminating it, so we can consult it at the end of each week and identify what areas have become problematic."

Derek stopped, and Stiles looked over to see a tic in the muscle of his cheek. "I hate that our relationship may come down to relying on a piece of paper, but if it helps us, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make."

Stiles just froze, only taking long enough to pinch his own arm, check to see if he hadn't entered some alternate universe. He winced at the pain, and went back to staring at Derek, finally breaking the silence. "Thank you, I think? Today was bad for you, wasn't it? You hate talking. You try to use as few words as possible, or even just resort to using your ridiculous eyebrows to communicate. Are you going to die on me from panic?"

As soon as Stiles had finished speaking in a rush, Derek leaned over and kissed Stiles, surprising him. Stiles hadn't even realised he'd been leaning closer and closer to Derek as he had been speaking. After a few seconds pause, Stiles returned the kiss, opening his mouth and turning it filthy.

They pulled back from each other when their air supply began running low, and leaned back into their respective seats, drawing in air. "We're probably too old for car sex."

Derek snorted. "We're home, anyway. Also, we're only twenty eight, we're not ancient, Stiles. We'll just get inventive. Not tonight, though."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I suck at coming up with company names. [Facepalm]


	14. Paper Works

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The build up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is where I left it and abandoned my work. Since mid November, a lot has happened, and I wasn't sure I would ever finish this.
> 
> As a result, the flow may change a bit, the wording a bit odd. I know it feels like a rush job - it kind of is at this point. I wanted this to be around 50,000 words of amazement. I lost my muse for it, but I want to give you something.
> 
> I hope readers will understand. This has been very hard for me, and I feel bad that I can't give people something better.
> 
> I have to make a choice though, and my choice is to publish this and let it go.
> 
> Everything written from a quarter way through this chapter onwards was written over the course of 3 days - from the 6th of March to the 9th of March 2019.

Surprisingly, Lydia didn't say a word when Stiles approached her about the checklist that Derek had mentioned a week earlier. She arched an eyebrow when Stiles told her that there weren't any issues, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

Lydia merely got up out of her chair and walked over to her personal filing cabinet, and retrieved a folder containing two laminated pieces of paper, silently walking back over to her desk and handing the file to Stiles. As soon as he had put said file in his briefcase, she finally piped up. "You should be at IC, not here. Everything okay?"

Stiles' face got a pinched expression as he glowered at her. "I came here because I couldn't focus. You know… Too busy worrying about how Derek and I are going."

Lydia gently swayed in her office chair, taking her time with her reply. What came out surprised Stiles though, he hadn't expected a question. "Are you going to leave him when your time is up?"

He considers it, and finally walks over to the couch she has in her office, dropping heavily down onto it. He rests his elbows on his knees and buries his face into his hands, his knuckles digging into his eye sockets. Just as the pain and lights get to be too much, he feels the couch depress next to him, and an hand rest on his arms.

"This is why I made the checklists and laminated them."

He looks up at her and blinks a few times, trying to work out what she meant. She stares at him for a bit, and rolls her eyes, relenting.

"You love him, and you're scared. I've only known you a few years, but this is a whole new side to you, and I am loving it. But I know you, I know that you like checklists and pointers and all that fancy stuff that I don't require. If you want this, Stiles, fight for it."

He keeps staring at her, trying to unravel and make sense of the words she'd spoken. "How…"

She sighs and rubs his arm a little, attempting to be reassuring. "This is the happiest I've ever seen you, Stiles. I want for this to work, for you, for Derek."

Stiles had never thought that he and Lydia would have a friendship; she distanced herself from all employees and from what he'd seen, even her friends. Now he was second guessing everything he'd seen. Maybe she was just an insanely private person who only showed affection towards others in private. Certainly, her current actions indicated it.

A finger taps the side of his head, and he jolts back to the present, turning to glare at the strawberry blonde woman next to him.

"You were a million miles away, don't frown at me. So. Are you going to leave him? You're halfway through, so you still have time to decide. I would suggest you stop delaying the inevitable and stop lying to yourself, though."

He narrows his eyes in displeasure at that, the feeling of being gently scolded not sitting well with him. She merely flips her hair back and settles for staring him down with bright hazel eyes.

"Shut up, Lydia. I love him. I always have. And leaving him in three months time? Yeah, I don't see that happening."

He stops talking, trailing off into silence, and closes his eyes again. Next to him, Lydia waits for a bit before speaking up again. "Let me guess. You and Derek just have to sit down together and have the world's biggest heart to heart talk about it all?"

Stiles gets up and heads for the door, grabbing his briefcase. Just before he opens the door, he sends Lydia a warning glance.

"We've already discussed why I left."

\---

Stiles makes a brief return to the office, making sure it would be okay for him to take the rest of the day off. He's waved back out the door with a laugh and a few cheeky grins. Someone manages to yell out "Have fun! Be safe!" just before the door closes.

He heads for home, the home that he now shared with Derek. Even though he still had his apartment, which Derek was paying the rent for, it no longer held any appeal to him. He preferred going home to an actual house, even as obscenely sized as it was, now that he had his dream home. He loved walking in the door and never knowing what to expect.

Once, he'd walked in to find Erica and Boyd well past the point of just making out. They'd been so involved in each other that they hadn't heard Stiles enter the house. He had had fun lording that over Erica for the next week - in exchange for Stiles not telling Derek, all Erica had to do was cook his favourite meals. She'd finally broken down and told Derek about making out with Boyd on the couch, only to turn around and glare at Stiles when Derek had looked confused and told her that he knew, Stiles had told him the day it happened.

Some days, he walked in and was greeted with silence, indicating that Erica and Boyd had left to run errands or something. Those days, he would walk around the house to find Winnie and curl up with her.

Most days, he came home with Derek, or to Derek. It was a rush to walk in the door and straight into someone's arms. Someone who would get worried but try to hide it, just for appearance's sake.

He's surprised when he walks inside around lunchtime, and finds Derek sitting at the bar in the kitchen, reading the newspaper while eating salad. They look at each in silence, Stiles breaking it by moving closer so he could steal some fruit from Derek's bowl.

He pulls out a seat next to Derek and puts his briefcase on the countertop. Flicking it open, he pulls out the folder containing the two laminated pieces of paper, and pulls them out. He hands one to Derek, who puts his newspaper down and grabs it.

They read the checklist in silence, both coming to the end of it at roughly the same time. Derek is the first to break the silence, his tone impressed.

"This is a good checklist. I mean…" He scratches at his beard in thought, picking his next words carefully. "We're not experiencing any of this, but it's still a good idea."

He had almost slipped up, the temptation to mention the trial on the tip of his tongue. He didn't want Stiles to leave, but he wouldn't blame Stiles for leaving either. And now, he felt the urge to fuck Stiles through the mattress, to make him come apart so hard that no one else will ever be enough. Make Stiles only want him. Petty, he knew, but he was desperate to keep Stiles.

He gets up wordlessly and puts the salad in the fridge, not bothering to cover it up, and turns to Stiles.

"Bedroom, now. I'm going to eat you out until you're shaking and begging me to stop, crying from the torture of it. And then I'm going to make you mine, going to fuck you until you pass out."

Stiles arches his eyebrows but doesn't put up a fight. Derek wasn't one for dirty talk often, but when he was, it was the most amazing thing to hear, in Stiles' opinion.

He gets up and makes his way up to the bedroom, undressing on the way. Erica was going to have a field day with this, and gross. He shoves her out of his mind, and makes his way into the shared bedroom, discarding his boxer briefs and climbing onto the bed. He lets out a loud yelp as he's pulled down the bed, twisting it into a moan as Derek wastes no time in making good on his promises.

\---

When Stiles surfaces later, he runs a hand over his stomach, satisfied to know Derek had taken the time to clean him up. Derek had not been kidding about the passing out thing, that was for sure.

A glass of water is pushed into his hand, and he  sits up and takes it, drinking greedily. Once the cup is empty, he hands it back and lays down again, staring at the ceiling.

"You okay?"

Stiles considers it, rummaging through his thoughts for a coherent strand, and blurts out the one thing that he had spent time thinking about.

"I want to go to Beacon Hills for a while, like a month or something. Bad timing, I know, with IC having just opened. But I'm sick of New York. I want to be near our families…"

He's cut off with a gruff "Okay" and the rough press of lips to his own, even as he's scooped up to sprawl across Derek's body.

"Okay. We can do that."

Stiles raises his head from its resting spot to look at Derek with one eyebrow raised, wondering why he was so agreeable. Was it the orgasm they'd just had?

"Stiles, no."

Oops, he said that out loud. He shuts his mouth and keeps watching Derek, obeying when Derek gently pushes his head back down to rest against his chest.

"Lydia and I have been discussing it for a while, about relocating everything to San Francisco or somewhere nearby. She wants to save her marriage, it's been on the rocks since her and Whittemore moved to New York. I've wanted to live closer to home for a while, rather than across the country."

He pauses, and Stiles listens to every breath that Derek drags in, his heartbeat a little faster in the light of their conversation.

"You asking makes it easier. Lydia drew up plans for her company ages ago, I followed suit. Keep offices here, keep people employed. Just to be fair."

He reaches for something, and jostles Stiles as he does so; once he's back to resting position, Stiles relaxes. He realises Derek must have reached for the phone, when the first few rings of a faint phone calling reach his ears.

"Derek, I swear to God…"

"You really don't want to know, Lydia. Stiles wants to go to California for a month. I just… I didn't ask him the most important thing. Hold on."

He moves his head to meet Derek's eyes and waits for whatever question is about to be thrown his way.

"If it goes well, are we moving to California?"

Stiles goes stiff in shock. The hope in Derek's voice was more than just at moving, it was to do with Stiles staying by his side. We. Derek had asked Stiles for his input. He needed to know. Enough of the pussyfooting around, the random emotional outbursts as reality settled around them and reminded them both that this was a trial, not the real deal.

"Derek. Do you want me to leave when the trial is up?"

He asks it gently, not tearing his gaze away from Derek's. In his peripheral vision, Derek stabs the hang up button and drops the phone to the bed, bringing his hand up to cup Stiles' cheek. They watch enough carefully, too many emotions flying across their faces to put a name to.

"No. I want you to be by my side forever, Stiles. I fell in love with you and how wild and feisty you are the minute I met you. I just didn't know what love was, not really, until I woke up that morning and you were gone."

He watches Stiles closely after that revelation, scared that Stiles will get up and walk out, tell him to stay away or he'll get a restraining order or… He shakes his head slightly, aware that he was heading towards hysteria. He keeps his hand gentle and steady though, where it's resting against Stiles' cheek, and waits. They'd never really talked about how Derek felt, which, in hindsight, was one of the stupidest things they could have possibly done.

"I don't want to leave. I want to move to California with you, take Erica and Boyd with us. Kira would be a great help, as Erica wants to get pregnant, which will impact how much work she can do. I want to marry you again, in a big ceremony, with all of our friends and family watching." He murmurs it into Derek's chest and waits, feeling anxious at the reaction. They seemed to both be on the same page, but he wasn't sure.

Derek shudders under him, and moves his arms to wrap them around Stiles, holding him. "Yes. To all of it."

It takes a while, but eventually Derek finds the phone and rings Lydia again.

"Well?"

"He wants to move to California. Not just a visit."

"Good. I've already bought a building for Martin & Whittemore, as well as Imagination Creation. I've scouted a list of potential buildings for Hale Yeah Industries, all you need to do is give the final approval and whatnot from your end."

Derek and Stiles let out a rush of air at how unphased Lydia sounds, and are met with a tut of disapproval.

"You two fly to California almost every weekend. Moving there was inevitable, so I started working on it. That's why Imagination Creation is set up the way it is, I have plans for that building. We agreed, no one is unemployed because of this shuffle, if it occurs."

Stiles groans. "I knew you were a Goddess to be worshipped, Lydia. Don't fire me."

She laughs in response. "My life has become far more interesting since I employed you. You're not going anywhere. Derek, ring me on Monday."

She hangs up and Derek drops the phone on the bedside table. He fumbles around for something, and Stiles is about to give in to his curiosity, when his question is answered.


	15. Let Me Love You The Way I Need To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Smut. Pure smut. There is no plot here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't write this and not write more smut. I'm dirty minded and I'm not even sorry.
> 
> Please refer to the note at the beginning of Chapter 14 for why this may seem rushed.

He jolts as cold liquid touches his hole and a finger is inserted, thrusting slowly.

He lets out a gasp and moves his head to mouth at Derek's shoulder, and spreads his legs to either side of the bulk beneath him, giving Derek proper access.

One finger comes two, and two becomes three. The process is torture, his prostate being relentlessly massaged slowly with small pauses in between. His cock is trapped between them, hard and painful. Everytime Stiles goes to move, to get proper pressure on his poor aching length, Derek takes his fingers out and waits. Stiles was probably going to cry. His hole was so needy, empty without something inside it to keep him full. His cock needed something other than pressure, it needed friction; out of the two needs, only one was being met, and Stiles knew it was intentional.

The edging seems to go on forever, Derek's shoulder covered in a mix of saliva, teeth marks, and bruises. Finally, those amazing fingers still, and a rumble causes his body to shiver as Derek speaks.

"Sit up, I want you to ride me."

He obeys, the fingers slipping from his hole as he moves, and he lets out a groan of wavering pleasure. He looks down at Derek, leaning down to kiss him, and positions himself. A brief thought occurs about condoms, and he goes to ask Derek, but he's interrupted with "No. I just want to feel you."

They work together, Derek reaching up to grasp the base of Stiles' cock as he breaches him, pushing back the pleasure.

As soon as he's seated, he clenches around the length inside him, a long drawn out moan escaping him.

Derek's grasps his hips and moves Stiles, thrusting his hips in time. Stiles is powerless to do much, except to rest his hands on Derek's chest and take it. He bends down and gets as comfortable as he can, and kisses his husband, making it long and drawn out and dirty. The thrusting slows but doesn't stop, a pleasant movement that lights his nerve endings on fire.

Almost as if sensing he's close, Derek rolls them over and they kiss again. Derek moves his face away and picks up his speed again, not making it fast, but not as slow as before. Stiles wraps his legs around Derek and holds on, kissing any skin he can reach. Needing to let Derek know how loved he is, how sorry Stiles was. It's not enough, he knows, and he tells him.

"I'm sorry, Der. I'm sorry, and I love you so much. I shouldn't have left, I should have stayed, should have… I love you so much. So much. I love you, I love you, I love you."

He rambles on, each syllable punched out of him as Derek makes love to him. Returning the sentiments not with words, but his body. It's not enough though, and Stiles reaches for Derek, needing to hold him close, to feel that he's real.

It's too much and not enough, but they peak together, letting out matching groans.

Derek collapses in a heap on top of Stiles and pants harshly, recuperating. He manages to get out the words he knows Stiles needs to hear, rather than say it with his body.

"I forgive you. I'm sorry for not chasing you sooner. And I love you. I always have."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last I checked, I'm of the female variety, so this may be a little wrong. My apologies.


	16. A Fresh Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The finale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please refer to the note at the beginning of Chapter 14 for why this is rushed.

They were quick to make arrangements, making sure things went smoothly.

Stiles didn't have to do much at all. He did make sure to introduce Scott to Allison, who was staying behind in New York. Scott and Allison hit it off straight away, he had thought they would make great friends, both caring, kind and thoughtful. After walking in on them naked, though, when Stiles had gone to the apartment to get the rest of his stuff, he'd changed his mind quick. They made a fantastic couple.

Hey, he was human. He could appreciate a good sight.

Erica and Boyd were happy to move to California; neither really spoke to their families, and New York only held bad memories for them.

They'd worked hard to find a replacement secretary for Lydia, until Derek had suggested his cousin Malia. Stiles had smacked Derek and told him that that was a bad idea, Malia was… painfully blunt. Everyone had been surprised when Lydia had taken a shining to Malia, and even more surprised when it was discovered they regularly had Skype chats.

\---

Stiles wakes up and groans, diving under the covers. The sun shining through the windows was far too bright, and Derek was an asshole who had been far more intent on making sure Stiles forgot how to speak.

A warm length plasters itself to Stiles' back, an arm wrapping itself around his body and caressing his stomach.

"It's Saturday. I'll shut the curtains for you, lazy."

Neither of them move, Derek lazily grinding against Stiles. As soon as Stiles returns the gesture, Derek scoots back and gets out of bed, heading over to close the curtains. He turns back to Stiles and leans over to pull the quilt down and kiss him.

"Sleep a little longer. I'll be back soon."

Stiles obeys, falling into a twilight sleep; still aware of things but not bothered by them.

The curtain is pushed open again, but not far, just enough to light the room up. Stiles sits up and stretches, mouth falling open as he looks at the tray of food that Derek had put on the bed.

Derek moves around the bed and gets back in, bringing the tray closer. They feed each other carefully, a smile playing on Derek's lips at something he obviously found amusing.

It took Stiles a bit to figure it out, but Derek knew the exact moment he saw everything on the tray.

"Derek…"

Stiles reaches for the ring box, and cracks it open, just managing to catch the three rings that fall out. His face settles into confusion, and he looks at Derek, trying to work out what was going on. The only ring he recognised was the simple gold band they'd both got in Las Vegas.

Derek reaches over and carefully takes the rings, and grabs Stiles' left hand, sliding Stiles' wedding band on his ring finger. His own wedding band flashes as it catches the sunlight, and Stiles remains quiet.

"This is temporary."

Derek carefully puts one of the bands in the slot in the box, and puts the box to one side. As soon as he's done, he takes Stiles' hand again, and kisses his palm gently.

"Marry me again. A big wedding, a small ceremony. I don't care. As long as we can do it properly, and just…"

He's cut off as lips crash against his, swallowing any other words down. A hand slides into his hair and holds on, remaining there as they passionately kiss. When they finally pull back to take in air, Stiles whispers a "Yes. A thousand times, yes." against Derek's mouth, and pulls away.

Derek has just enough time to slide the new ring onto Stiles' ring finger, sliding it to sit snugly against the original wedding band. Stiles abruptly pulls his hand away and lays down, turning away to face his own bedside table and rummage through the drawer. Knowing Stiles, he could be doing anything.

Before Derek can ask what's going on, Stiles pops back up and looks at Derek with seriousness in his eyes. "Why did you never mention the rings? Like…" He flails a little, his hand making motions in the air. "Why not until now? Honestly, I thought you would have thrown it out when I sent it back."

He stops and grabs Derek's left hand, studying the wedding band there. Without a word, he fumbles a bit, and slides a ring onto Derek's ring finger. As soon as it's snug, he looks up at Derek and swallows.

"I was scared. I bought the ring a few years ago, I had a half-assed plan to woo you back after we got divorced. But you… You wouldn't let it happen. I was a mess, I didn't know what I wanted. This is coming out wrong."

He closes his eyes and takes a moment to regain his senses, picking carefully over his next words. He doesn't flinch as a hand rests against his back, gentle stroking motions accompanying the movement.

"I love you. I want to grow old with you and adopt babies with you and fight with you and make up after. I want to laugh with you, cry with you, be angry with you and for you. I was an idiot, I get that now. Running away was stupid."

He's pulled across the bed and into Derek's warmth, a kiss pressed gently against his forehead.

"I love you, Stiles. It'll be okay. We're going to get married again, and it'll be okay."

"I love you too, Der."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. This was actually painful to revisit, but I needed something to do, to get my head away from over thinking.
> 
> I may write a sequel to this one day. Someone else might. I would love to explore more of this story, fill in any gaps.
> 
> Heck. Throw suggestions or prompts at me here in the comments, or inbox me on Tumblr- faeriekitteh.tumblr.com/ask
> 
> I can also be found at twitter.com/faeriekitteh if you want to throw a suggestion at me there.


End file.
